What about claims made that eating tofu increases chances of getting
dementia?
Based on report from Japan.
Ron wrote:
> .
>
>
> From: "Robert Cohen" <notmilk@e...>
> Date: Sun Dec 12, 2004 11:33 am
> Subject: I'm so confused about Soy
>
>
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
> "I'm so confused about Soy."
> That was the subject of Rob's letter to me:
>
> Rob <office@r...> wrote:
>
> "I don't trust what the media says about Soy.
> There are only a few educated people that I
> trust on this topic, and you and Dr. Mercola
> are two of them, but you and he have opposing
> views about soy. If Dr. Mercola is wrong, you
> need to address some of the points he makes.
> I know for a fact that there are many of your
> readers who also subscribe to him. I look
> forward to your reply. Thanks."
>
> http://www.mercola.com/2004/dec/4/soy_truth.htm
> ________________________________________
>
> Dear Rob,
>
> Dr. Mercola would have you drink raw milk in the
> name of good health, and that advice is disturbing
> to me. He is also a proponent of the Neanderthal
> diet and would have you eat raw meat too. Somehow,
> he took up with the wrong crowd and displays quite
> a bit of ignorance regarding his negative comments
> on soy and other unhealthy nutritional advice.
>
> Soymilk detractors (Sally Fallon, Price Pottinger,
> Dr. Mercola, Soyonlineservice) would have you believe
> that it is better to boil babies in hot oil than
> serve them soymilk-based formula. Many people swallow
> that unhealthy propaganda from the same folks who
> receive financing from dairy famers and promoting
> the consumption of raw milk.
>
> A paper in the May 2004 issue of the Journal of
> Nutrition (May;134(5):1220S-4S) advises otherwise.
>
> After examining clinical evidence of the mechanisms
> of isoflavones and bioflavinoids contained in soymilk,
> scientists wrote:
>
> "Soy protein has been used in infant feeding in the West
> for nearly 100 years. Soy protein infant formulas have
> evolved in this interval to become safe and effective
> alternatives for infants whose nutritional needs are not
> met with human milk or formulas based on cow's milk.
> Modern soy formulas meet all nutritional requirements and
> safety standards of the Infant Formula Act of 1980."
>
> Is soy formula safe for your child? The Journal Nutrition
> believes so. The article concludes:
>
> "Available evidence from adult human and infant
> populations indicates that dietary isoflavones in soy
> infant formulas do not adversely affect human growth,
> development, or reproduction."
>
> Much of what Dr. Mercola says is based upon rat
> research which I totally reject.
>
> Consider this. Half of the cancers that rats get,
> mice do not get. Half of the cancers that mice get,
> rats do not get. If scientific research from one
> tiny four-legged long-tailed furry rodent cannot be
> applied to another, how can any man or woman of
> science attempt to arbitrarily apply such animal
> research to humans? Nutritional rat research can
> only be applied to rats, which have different organs
> and enzymes from humans, and lack gall bladders.
> Rats cannot digest soy proteins. Humans can.
>
> Mercola complains that soy contains isoflavones and
> phytoestrogens. Well, Dr. Mercola should know that
> brocolli contains isoflavones and phytoestorgens
> too.
>
> Are phytoestrogens in soy and broccoli hazardous?
>
> According to Mercola.com and his group of soy-bashers
> (soyonlineservice.com, Sally Fallon, and the Price
> Pottinger Institute), broccoli is also a deadly poison
> and must be avoided. So too, for that matter, should
> you never again eat seeds, whole grains, berries, fruit,
> vegetables, nuts, or sprouts. Let's explore why.
>
> Despite the fact that phytoestrogens (plant estrogens)
> are not steroids like human estrogen, there are those
> who would have you induce vomiting, if ever you
> swallowed a soy product containing isoflavones. My
> advice to you is to not swallow their illogical line
> of reasoning.
>
> For each milligram of phytoestrogens that she eats
> in soy products, the average American woman will also
> consume an additional four milligrams of pytoestrogens
> from fruits and vegetables. Advice to abstain from
> phytoestrogens is insanity, and Internet hype and
> hysteria has infected the good judgement of many
> so-called health advocates. This includes many ignorant
> physicians, who read one such article and assimilate
> just enough information to offer erroneous and dangerous
> health advice to their patients.
>
> Phytoestrogens are widely distributed in plants. There
> are three categories of phytoestrogens--isoflavones
> (which are found in soy), lignans (seeds, fruits
> and veggies), and coumestans (broccoli and sprouts).
>
> So, if you take the advice of Internet soy-bashing
> ignoramuses and do not drink soymilk because you fear
> phytoestrogens, by all means, you must give up fruits,
> veggies, nuts, and grains too.
>
> The only reason that phytoestrogens are considered to be
> very dangerous is that the name sounds like estrogen,
> even though they are not steroid hormones, and even though
> their mechanisms of action do not mimic estrogen. Beware
> of phytoestrogens, you are told. Like the "boogeyman,"
> phytoestrogens in fruit and veggies are gonna get you
> while you sleep.
>
> A publication in the February 2004 issue of the American
> Journal of Clinical Nutrition (R. Ziegler, 2004;79:183-4)
> suggests that women who eat high levels of soy isoflavones
> have lower rates of breast cancer than those who consume
> low levels of isoflavones.
>
> Dr. Regina Ziegler is a researcher with the National Cancer
> Institute. She has taught health and nutrition courses at
> Yale and Harvard Universities. Ziegler writes:
>
> "The daily intake of phytoestrogens in white U.S
> women has been estimated to be <1 mg, with 80% from
> lignans, 20% from isoflavones, and <0.1 from coumestans."
>
> ************************************************** ****
> In other words, according to Ziegler, an expert in her
> field, Americans eat four times the amount of
> phytoestrogens in fruit and veggies as they do from
> soy products.
> ************************************************** ****
> Ziegler continues:
>
> "Historically, breast cancer rates in the United States
> have been 4-7 times those in Asia, whereas isoflavone
> intake in the United States is <1% that in Asian
> populations."
>
> So should you take Mercola's advice and eliminate soy
> and all fruits and vegetables because of phytoestrogens?
> Should you also follow his dietary advice by eating
> raw milk and dairy products and raw meat? If you follow
> Mercola, you will be led into a cave with other
> Neanderthals.
>
> You might consider contrary advice. An apple a day
> does keep the doctor away because of those magical
> phytoestrogens. So too do brown rice and almonds,
> broccoli, and fresh sprouts. Go heavy on the soy.
>
> Dead raw flesh and cooked animal parts should not
> be served with body fluids from diseased animals.
> Every cell in your miraculous body craves life, not
> death. Cells and enzymes from carrots and oranges.
> Green plants containing chlorophyll, and calcium
> with magnesium in a proportion that is efficiently
> utilized by the human body. A rose will never become
> a dead chicken, even if it is so re-named. Neither
> would a phytoestrogen become a steroid hormone, nor
> act like one.
>
> Mercola has also criticized soy for the presence of
> phytates.
>
> Are Wheaties (with soy milk) Hazardous to Your Health?
>
> Of course not, but Dr. Mercola urges you to believe otherwise.
>
> Wheaties cereal contains phytates.
>
> Dairy producers see soymilk as the new kid on the block, and
> they are running scared. Their strategy is to spread rumors
> about soy because it contains phytates. Perish the thought,
> phytates? Quick, induce vomiting. Call Poison Control.
> Where's the stomach pump?
>
> One bowl of cereal (portion size is defined on the side of a
> box of Wheaties) is equal to: 3/4 cup of cereal and 1/2 cup
> of milk.
>
> If the soy naysayers are correct, and if you enjoy a bowl of
> Wheaties for breakfast, that single portion of cereal will
> contain more than 2.5 times the amount of phytates as will
> the soymilk used to moisten that breakfast of champions.
>
> Dr. Anthony Mercola writes:
>
> "Soybeans are high in phytic acid...It's a substance that
> can block the uptake of essential minerals... Scientists are
> in general agreement that grain- and legume-based diets high
> in phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in
> third world countries. Analysis shows that calcium,
> magnesium, iron and zinc are present in the plant foods
> eaten in these areas, but the high phytate content of soy-
> and grain-based diets prevents their absorption."
>
> Sally Fallon director of the Weston Price Foundation echoes
> Mercola's lack of wisdom (almost word for word):
>
> "Soybeans are also high in phytic acid or phytates....which
> blocks the uptake of essential minerals-calcium, magnesium,
> iron and especially zinc-in the intestinal tract. Scientists
> are in general agreement that grain and legume based diets
> high in phytates contribute to widespread mineral
> deficiencies in third world countries. Analysis shows that
> calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc are present in the plant
> foods eaten in these areas, but the high phytate content of
> soy and rice based diets prevents their absorption."
>
> A website registered in New Zealand offers similar
> disinformation. Soy Online Service (should be re-named Soy
> Offline Disservice). In a column titled "SoyToxins," they
> write:
>
> "There's plenty yet that you didn't know about soy! Soy
> contains several naturally occurring compounds that are
> toxic to humans and animals...soy toxins such as phytic
> acid...have the ability to target specific organs, cells and
> enzyme pathways and their effects can be devastating....As
> with any toxin there will be a dose at which negative
> effects are not observed. Soy Online Services have examined
> the scientific data on the soy toxins and have uncovered
> several alarming truths...There is no legislation to protect
> consumers from soy toxins in raw soy products...all soy
> products, no matter how well treated, contain low to
> moderate levels of soy toxins; processing cannot remove them
> all of any of them."
>
> Since soymilk is the bone of contention, I chose its phytate
> content to serve as a baseline for comparison to wheat
> products.
>
> Charts contained on pages 30-34 of Food Phytates (edited by
> Rukma Reddy and Shridhar Sathe, CRC Press, ISBN # 1-56676-
> 867-5) reveal:
>
> The percentage of phytates in soymilk is listed as 0.11%.
>
> Wheat has been called the "Staff of Life."
>
> Durham wheat contains 8 times more phytates than soymilk
> (0.88%).
>
> Whole wheat bread contains almost 4 times more phytates than
> soymilk (0.43%).
>
> Wheaties, contain nearly fourteen times more phytates than
> soymilk (1.52%).
>
> Let's use common logic here. If wheat contains more phytates
> than soymilk, then wheat should not be eaten either, right?
> What a silly claim soymilk detractors make. It is without
> merit.
>
> A typical portion of breakfast cereal consists of two
> ingredients, cereal & milk. The proportions: three-quarters
> of a cup of Wheaties weighs 22.5 grams. One-half cup of
> soymilk weighs 122.5 grams. Ergo, the wheaties contain 342
> milligrams of phytates. The soymilk contains 135 milligrams
> of phytates.
>
> Now, let's get to the point of this. In their introduction
> and summary of the scientific substantiation to follow, the
> authors of Food Phytates write:
>
> "Recent investigations have focused on the beneficial effect
> of food phytates, based upon their strong mineral-chelating
> property...The beneficial effects include lowering of serum
> cholesterol and triglycerides and protection against certain
> diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, renal stone
> formation, and certain types of cancers."
>
> So you see, phytates are healthy for you. Phytates represent
> a prime example of using food for medicine.
>
> Of course, if you happen to believe all of the negative soy
> hype, skip the Wheaties. Skip the soymilk. You can always
> have a corn muffin, right? Let's go to the phytate chart.
> What percentage of corn bread is phytates? Oh, no. Corn
> muffins contain twelve times the percentage of phytates as
> soymilk, or 1.36%. An extra-large 6-ounce corn muffin (168
> grams) contains 228 milligrams of phytates, midway between
> the (3/4 cup) Wheaties and (1/2 cup) soymilk.
>
> So, take your pick. All of this anti-phytate rhetoric is
> either A) serious stuff B) ridiculous propaganda.
>
> For health, eat isoflavones and phytoestrogens. In that
> regard, no fruit, vegetabhle, grain, or legume is more
> blessed with nature's healing chemicals than soy. My best
> advice to you would be to reject Mercola's suggestion
> to eat raw milk and raw meat. Your body will thank you.
>
> Robert Cohen
> http://www.notmilk.com