SOYBEANS
(Posted 2009-11-11 21:58:53 by ArchPaladin)

Today, one of my coworkers had ordered some edamame (ie. prepared soybeans)
along with his lunch.  He was offering some of it to other coworkers.  One
of them declined, stating that "soybeans impede brain function".

I had to check this statement.  Allow me to divulge what I found.

It appears that there is one particular foundation [
http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm ] [westonprice.org] that basically
believes soybeans (and vegetarian diets in general) are evil and
deleterious to human health.  (In its place, they espouse a healthy diet of
rich animal fats, unpasteurized milk, and vitamin megadosing.)  They
presented some research indicating that increased soybean consumption was
correlated with decline of brain function over age - particularly vascular
dementia.  While I can't say that I agree or believe anything that this
particular group states, I did appreciate their citations.

There are a couple [
http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000141484
] [karger.com] studies [ http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/19/2/242 ]
[jacn.org] which seem to indicate that regular soybean consumption has
adverse health effects - basically what I stated above about vascular
dementia.  The full text of only one of the studies is available for free,
but it is the foundational study that the other one is based off of.  I
gave it a quick read-through - they compared the brain size and presence of
neural plaques and tangles (used as markers for Alzheimer's) in a cohort of
subjects who had regular intake of soy over the span of about 30-40 years. 
They have data showing that there is increased degeneration in those who
take in soy regularly.  Personally, I'm still skeptical - I think the
number of variables present in those studied is too large to take into
account in one study, and I don't think the researchers did enough
diligence in controlling for all those factors.

However, still not being satisfied, I kept looking for information about
soybeans.  It appears that there are some pseudo-hormonal chemicals in
soybeans that mimic estrogen, and that increased intake of these chemicals
can disrupt neural regeneration.  So I don't think these people's claims
are so far-fetched, but very likely hyped.

And on a related note, it appears that at least half of the soybeans we
grow in the US are abundantly laced with herbicides - specifically
Monsanto's Ready Roundup.  And I don't just mean herbicides are in use - I
mean the crops are _heavily laced_.  So much herbicide is in use that the
FDA had to raise their legally allowed limits of herbicide residue so the
crops could be sold.  Also, such crops - by Monsanto's own research -
contain less nutrients and more damaging chemicals than normal soybeans. 
See here [ http://www.foodrevolution.org/what_about_soy.htm ]
[foodrevolution.org] for my source - check the section on "Frankensoy". 
And if you think that this is just one particular editor's embellishments -
here are some [ http://www.psrast.org/subeqau.htm ] [psrast.org] additional
[
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto_and_the_Roundup_Ready_Controversy
] [sourcewatch.org] opinions.

All this is not to mention that even TVP [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textured_vegetable_protein ] [wikipedia.org]
requires a considerable amount of chemical processing to obtain a food
product.

So there is apparently a food controversy that you probably never heard
about.  I have to admit I don't look at soy the same way that I did earlier
this morning.

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