Synthetic Endocrine Disrupting XENOESTROGENS

Synthetic Endocrine Disrupting XENOESTROGENS:

What Are They, How Do They Affect Us and How to Avoid Them

 

By Raluca Schachter

I haven’t met an adult yet who doesn’t experience some sort of hormonal imbalances. The fact that most conventionally trained doctors fail miserably in this area and are not able to detect and correctly address such imbalances, makes it even more widespread.

What is really happening? People started to wake up to the reality that much has to do with our lifestyle and dietary choices. But it’s also another, less talked about aspect: environmental exposure to chemicals. And this affects us all to some degree.

Since the end of World War II, some 100,000 synthetic chemicals, pollutants (waste products), and toxicants (such as pesticides and herbicides) have been released into our air, water, or soil. Of the 1000 or more different substances manufactured and released into the environment each year, most are not tested for safety.

Depending on where you live, either some or many of these compounds are in the food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breathe. These chemicals have the power to disrupt the endocrine system, leading to harmful health effects. They are “endocrine disruptors”.

So it is clear that no human has been born since the middle of the 20th century without some exposure, in the womb, to hormonally-active synthetic compounds. This is a reality which we shouldn’t deny, but rather gather information on how to cope with.

 

How Do Xenoestrogens Affect Our Health?

 

Today, the list of hormonally active compounds is longer than anyone had previously imagined in the early days of the research. Not only are more compounds involved, but more hormone systems are now known to be vulnerable. And within each hormonal system, new mechanisms of interaction between compounds and receptor systems are being explored to understand how a compound exerts its effects.

Originally framed only as “estrogen mimicry” or “estrogens in the environment,” research has expanded to include many other hormone systems: estrogen blocking as well as mimickry, androgen blocking, concern for interference with thyroid hormones and progesterone.

Estrogen mimickers in the form of chemicals (xenoestrogens) mimic the action of estrogen produced in cells and can alter hormonal activity. It should be of particular interest for anyone dealing with an estrogen dominance already (very common for many women these days) and related conditions such as uterine fibroid tumors, fibrocystic breasts, breast cancer, glandular dysfunction, male infertility, endometriosis, hair loss, weight gain, and depression, to name just a few.

Estrogen dominance from these environmental hormone disrupters are causing an imbalance of female hormones, creating a host of estrogen dominance symptoms.

Girls and boys are reaching puberty too early as a result of these disrupters. Additionally, xenoestrogens produce hormonal stimuli that contributes to inappropriate growth of mammary tissue cells, resulting in a problem society is calling “man boobs.”

Hormones – most of which are created in various glands such as the thyroid- act in the body like messengers, to transfer information from glands to receptor sites in cells. When hormones circulate in our blood, they are seeking the right site on our cells to plug into so that their message can be both send and received by our cells and body.  When the connection is made, estrogens and other hormones are meant to start and stop a wide range of physiological functions. Hormones are not selective.

So instead of “partnering” with their meant-to-be-hormone, they also accept a wide variety of synthetic hormone-like strangers into their receptor sites, blocking the message of the naturally occuring hormone. In addition, because these synthetic hormones are constantly present, they may attach at the wrong time and disrupt the precise timing of the developmental order.

In her book Hormone Deception, Lindsey Berkson identifies at least five different responses that can occur when “inappropriate orders” are given by synthetic hormones:

•  mimic the natural hormones in our bodies, such as estrogens

• antagonize (block) our natural hormones, such as androgens (male hormones), thyroid hormone, and progesterone

• alter the way in which natural hormones are produced, eliminated or metabolized

• modify the number of hormone receptors we have and thus the amount of hormonal signaling in our bodies

• stimulate the release of hormones or other natural substances that affect the balance of our hormones in our bodies

 

 

Where Can Endocrine Disrupting Xenoestrogens Be Found?

The most common endocrine disruptors are:

• Atrazine - is widely used as an herbicide to control broad-leaf weed species that grow in crops such as corn, sugarcane, hay and winter wheat. Atrazine is also applied to Christmas trees, residential lawns, golf courses, and other recreational areas. Atrazine is the second largest selling pesticide in the world and estimated to be the most heavily used herbicide in the United States.

• BPA – used as a lining in most food and beverage cans. BPA global capacity is in excess of 6.4 billion lbs per year and thus is one of the highest-volume chemicals produced worldwide. Leaching of BPA has led to widespread human exposure.

• Butylated hydroxyanisole, BHA  is used as a food preservative.

• Bisphenol A  is monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in plasticizers.

• Dioxin is a group of highly toxic chemicals are released during combustion processes, pesticide manufacturing and chlorine bleaching of wood pulp. Dioxin is discharged into waterways from pulp and paper mills.

• Erythrosine, FD&C Red No. 3 used in a wide range of processed foods and medications.

• Ethinylestradiol (combined oral contraceptive pill) is released into the environment as a xenoestrogen.

• Endosulfan is an insecticide used on numerous vegetables, fruits, cereal grains and trees. Human exposure occurs through food consumption or ground and surface water contamination.

• Nonylphenol and derivatives are used as industrial surfactants, emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization, laboratory detergents, pesticides.

• PBB are chemicals added to plastics used in computer monitors, televisions, textiles and plastics foams to make them more difficult to burn. Manufacturing of PBBs in the United States stopped in 1976, however because they do not degrade easily PBBs continue to be found in soil, water and air.

• PCBs are man made organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCBs were manufactured primarily for use as insulating fluids and coolants given their chemical stability, low flammability and electrical insulating properties. PCBs were banned in 1979 but like DDT continue to persist in the environment.

• Phthalates are plasticizers providing durability and flexibility to plastics such as polyvinyl chloride. High molecular weight phthalates are used in flooring, wall coverings and medical device such as intravenous bags and tubing. Low molecular weight phthalates are found in perfumes, lotions, cosmetics, varnishes, lacquers and coatings including timed releases in pharmaceuticals.

• Parabens are used in a huge variety of cosmetics, and personal care products.

• Propyl gallate is used to protect oils and fats in products from oxidation.

• 4-hexyl resorcinol is used to prevent shrimp, lobsters, and other shellfish from discoloring.

• 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC)  is used in sunscreen lotions.

 

A Few Important Ways To Reduce Xenoestrogens In Your Life

 

Environment and house

• Organ chlorines, are one of the largest sources. They are found in pesticides, dry cleaning, bleaching of feminine-hygiene products and the manufacture of plastics. Choose organic feminine hygiene products and avoid the rest.

• Avoid plastic goods - they leach into the environment and will eventually come right back to your plate.

• Avoid new carpet – it can give off noxious fumes.

• Be aware of noxious gas such as that from copiers and printers, carpets, fiberboards, etc.

• Do not inhale and protect your skin from: electrical oils, lubricants, adhesive paints, lacquers, solvents, oils, paints, fuel, industrial wastes, packing materials, harsh cleaning products, fertilizers.

Food and water

• Avoid all pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides on produce. Wash the fruits and vegetables in a solution of one part vinegar and 3 parts water before consuming, to rid the pesticides.

• Have a good water filterfor your source of water. Reverse osmosis is the best option. Do not leave plastic containers, especially your drinking water, in the sun. If a plastic water container has heated up significantly, throw it away – do not drink the water either.

• Use only organic based whole foods. Buy organic, pastured, hormone free, antibiotic free meats and dairy products, ideally from small, sustainable farmers.

• Propyl gallate, the preservative used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling can be found in a range of foods including baked goods, shortening, dried meats, candy, fresh pork sausage, mayonnaise and dried milk.

• Do not microwave food in plastic containers, and especially avoid the use of plastic wrap to cover food for microwaving.

• Use glass or ceramics whenever possible to store food.

Medication and Conventional Medicine Procedures

• The birth control pill contains high concentration of synthetic estrogen. Choose a condom or diaphragm gels without surfactants. Use a condom without spermicidal.

• Don’t use hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

• Avoid X-rays as much as possible.

Personal care products and cleaning

• Don’t use fabric softeners as it puts petrochemicals right on your skin.

• Use a simple laundry and dish detergent with less chemicals.

• Buy non-toxic house cleaners like Seventh Generation or make your own, using basic and effective ingredients like vinegar, lemon, baking soda, and borax.

• Use organic soaps and toothpastes. Avoid fluoride.

• Avoid creams and cosmetics that have toxic chemicals and estrogenic ingredients such as parabens and stearal konium chloride. Switch to more natural and simple products. Cheap brands usually have more toxic ingredients. To check the level of toxicity for your cosmetics you can go to ewg.org/skindeep. Better yet, you can make your own, non-toxic (even edible!) personal care products, using essential oils, organic oils and other basic ingredients. The simpler, the better!

• Avoid regular nail polish and nail polish removers. At health food stores and online you can find non-toxic alternatives for these.

• Use only naturally based perfumes, like Pacifica. Most perfumes are petrochemically based.

Address Your Hormonal Imbalances Naturally

 

Hormones affect metabolic processes and have many, very powerful effects and will result in change in metabolism, mood, weight, fluid balance, to name just a few. The adrenals and the steroidal hormone balance are involved in regulating virtually every aspect of body function!

The Adrenal Cortex, for example, is responsible for producing over 50 different types of hormones. Simply put: As goes the health and functional efficiency of the adrenals, so goes the health and functional efficiency of every aspect of metabolism in the body.

The biggest insult for our bodies when we want to balance our  hormones is to choose hormone replacement therapy. This contains synthetic estrogens, which have been clearly associated with a significant increase in breast cancer. Moreover, this allopathic and dangerous approach doesn’t even come close to address the real cause of hormonal imbalances.

A holistic, integrative and functional approach that is meant to give your body all necessary nutrients in order to start producing hormones as needed and maintain optimal levels is offered by the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Advisors. They are highly trained to address your hormonal imbalances in a very effective, non-invasive and safe way.

And the best rule of all: LIVE A SIMPLE, “GREEN” LIFE AND STICK WITH QUALITY AND LESS QUANTITY IN EVERYTHING! Read labels and make your own whenever you can. This should offer a great deal of improvement in your quality of life!

Resources:

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/newscience/ubiquitous/ubiquitous.htm

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/estrogenic-food-additives

Berkson, Lindsey. Hormone Deception

Gray Graham, Deborah Kesten and Larry Scherwitz.  Pottenger’s Prophecy-How Food Resets Genes For Wellness Or Illness

T. Colborn, D. Dumanoski, and J. Peterson, Our stolen future. New York: Penguin, 1997

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoestrogen

Previous Articles by Raluca Schachter

• Canada Banning Non-Invasive Breast Detecting Thermography Technology

• Time for a Wake Up Call – The Vaccination Hoax Debunked!

• Gaining True, Life Long Immunity To Disease

• Follow The Money In “Sick-Care”: What’s Behind The Drugs And Needles?

• The Great “Smart Meters” Hoax. Electromagnetic Fields Are Real And Dangerous To Our Health

• How Bad Is Junk Food For Your DNA?

• The Shocking Truth About Candy Rewarding
•  

About the author

Raluca Schachter is a passionate Nutritionist and Metabolic Typing Advisor®, with a background in both nutrition and communication/PR. She believes in traditional, unaltered food, ancestral wisdom, sustainable farming and living. Raluca was able to naturally reverse chronic health conditions she was struggling with most of her life, and now uses her knowledge to help as many people as possible do the same. Her health programs and diet plans offer a very unique and comprehensive approach to health, where individual nutritional and biochemical requirements are firstly met using specific nutrients and foods that each metabolism thrives on. This approach reveals why and how ‘one diet/herb doesn’t fit all’ and why ‘one man’s food is another one’s poison.’ Raluca currently resides in Garden Grove, CA and offers her services for local and distance clientele. For more information visit her website and blog guide2health.net or join Raluca on Facebook

From Wake Up World @ http://wakeup-world.com/2013/01/21/synthetic-endocrine-disrupting-xenoestrogens-what-are-they-how-do-they-affect-us-and-how-to-avoid-them/

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The Evidence Against Soy

The Evidence Against Soy

By Dr. Mercola  

Dow Chemical and DuPont, the same corporations that brought misery and death to millions around the world through Agent Orange, are now the driving forces behind the promotion of soy as a food for humans. They are financing anti-meat and anti-milk campaigns aimed largely at those concerned about animal welfare and the environment, trying to convince them that imitations such as "soymilk" are not only healthier than the real thing, but better for the earth too.

There is no evidence that consuming soy products can improve health, reduce environmental degradation or slow global warming. In fact, the evidence suggests quite the opposite.

The studies below regarding the effects of soy on health are eye-opening, particularly the review by the American Heart Association -- which no longer supports the health claims about soy endorsed by the U.S. government.

Overall risks and benefits of soy assessed

Latest review by American Heart Association

Soy inhibits iron absorption

Poor iron bioavailability

Poor calcium bioavailability

Calcium and zinc absorbed better from milk than from soy -- even without phytates

Soy provides no benefits with respect to heart disease risk

Soy causes bladder cancer

Soy isoflavones during pregnancy increase breast cancer risk in female offspring

High levels of cadmium in soy formula

Soy linked to peanut allergy and increased risk for asthma

Whole milk vs. soy beverage -- asthma risk

Persistent sexual arousal syndrome associated with increased soy intake

Genistein: Does it prevent or promote breast cancer?

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

If you were to carefully review the thousands of studies published on soy, I strongly believe you too would reach the conclusion that any possible benefits of consuming soy are FAR outweighed by the well documented risks.

Now, I’m not against all forms of soy. Properly fermented products like natto and tempeh have been consumed for centuries and do not wreak havoc in your body like unfermented soy products do. For example, the enzyme nattokinase—derived from natto--is a safer, more powerful option than aspirin to dissolve blood clots, and has been used safely for more than two decades.

Unfortunately, many Americans still believe that unfermented and processed soy products like soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers and soy ice cream are good for them.

 


85 Percent of Consumers Believe the Lies About Soy

The rise of soy as a health food is in large part due to highly successful marketing to otherwise health conscious Americans who set the trend. According to the survey Consumer Attitudes About Nutrition 2008 (by the United Soybean Board), 85 percent of consumers now perceive soy products as healthy.

The survey also found that consumers:

• rank soybean oil among the top three healthy oils, with 70 percent recognizing soy oil as a healthy oil, and

• depend on soybean oil, commonly sold as vegetable oil, as one of their two most frequent cooking oils

This is a tragic case of shrewd marketing of misinformation and outright lies taking root among the masses, which will likely take some time to undo.

Ever since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim for soy foods in 1999 (which said diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease), soy sales have skyrocketed. In the years between 2000 and 2007, food manufacturers in the U.S. introduced over 2,700 new foods with soy as an ingredient, including 161 new products introduced in 2007 alone. 

This has resulted in a booming multi-billion dollar business. From 1992 to 2007, soy food sales increased from a paltry $300 million to nearly $4 billion, according to the Soyfoods Association of North America.

However, the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation, submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January of this year, asking them to retract its heart-health claim from soy in light of the inconsistent and contradictory evidence showing benefits, and its many proven health risks.

What’s So Wrong With Soy?

Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities--protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products.

Says Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story,

“Today's high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents."

Dr. Daniel also points out the findings of numerous studies reviewed by her and other colleagues -- that soy does not reliably lower cholesterol, and in fact raises homocysteine levels in many people, which has been found to increase your risk of stroke, birth defects, and yes: heart disease.

Other common health problems linked to a high-soy diet include:

• Thyroid problems, including weight gain, lethargy, malaise, fatigue, hair loss, and loss of libido

• Premature puberty and other developmental problems in babies, children and adolescents

• Cancer

• Brain damage

• Reproductive disorders

• Kidney stones

• Weakened immune system

• Severe, potentially fatal food allergies

Most soy, perhaps about 80 percent or more, is also genetically modified, which adds its own batch of health concerns.

Despite these findings, many people still want to believe the hype, thinking that these studies must somehow be wrong. But the content of soy itself should be a clue. For example, non-fermented soy products contain:

• Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein, which mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen

• Phytates, which block your body's uptake of minerals

• Enzyme Inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion

• Hemaggluttin, which causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen take-up and growth

• High amounts of omega-6 fat, which is pro-inflammatory

You’re Consuming Soy Whether You’re Buying “Soy Products” or Not

Even if you know better than to gulp down large amounts of soy milk, slabs of tofu, and other soy snacks, you are still consuming soy if you’re eating processed food, in the form of soybean oil and lecithin. So depending on your dietary habits, your (unfermented) soy consumption could really add up.

In fact, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln at the National Institutes of Health told CNN.com he estimates that soybeans, usually in the form of oil, account for 10 percent of the average person’s total calories in the United States! When you consider that 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed food, this amount of “accidental” soy intake is not surprising.

As a side note, I’d like to make a quick statement here to address some of my readers’ concerns about my reduced CoQ 10 supplement, ubiquinol, which also contain soy bean oil.

Unfortunately, the reduced CoQ 10 (ubiquinol) – which is the optimal form of CoQ 10 that your body needs, especially if you’re over 25 – is only produced by a multi-billion dollar Japanese pharmaceutical company that holds ALL the world patents on it. Hence, there’s no way to replace the soy, even though that would have been my preference.

However, as in all things, moderation is key. If I thought there were ANY significant health risks from consuming this small amount of soy oil, then I would not personally take two a day – which I do. I do however avoid all processed forms of soy products, and severely limit my intake of other unfermented soy, which is easy to do by simply avoiding processed and “fast” foods.

Which Soy Foods Should be Avoided … and How do You Avoid Them?

Because soy is so pervasive in the U.S. food supply, avoiding it is not an easy task.

The best way to completely avoid soy in the food supply is to buy whole foods and prepare them yourself. This may also be your only option if you’ve developed a soy allergy and need to eliminate soy from your diet entirely.  

If you still prefer to buy readymade and packaged products, for whatever reason, Dr. Daniel offers a free Special Report, "Where the Soys Are," on her Web site. It lists the many "aliases" that soy might be hiding under in ingredient lists -- words like "boullion," "natural flavor" and "textured plant protein."

Which Soy Foods DO Have Health Benefits?

The few types of soy that ARE healthy are all fermented varieties. After a long fermentation process, the phytic acid and antinutrient levels of the soybeans are reduced, and their beneficial properties -- such as the creation of natural probiotics -- become available to your digestive system.

The fermentation process also greatly reduces the levels of dangerous isoflavones, which are similar to estrogen in their chemical structure, and can interfere with the action of your own estrogen production.

So if you want to eat soy that is actually good for you, following are all healthy options:

1.     Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor. It's loaded with nattokinase, a very powerful blood thinner. Natto is actually a food I eat regularly, as it is the highest source of vitamin K2 on the planet and has a very powerful beneficial bacteria, bacillus subtilis. It can usually be found in any Asian grocery store.

2.     Tempeh, a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.

3.     Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).

4.     Soy sauce: traditionally, soy sauce is made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes, however be wary because many varieties on the market are made artificially using a chemical process.

This "Miracle Health Food" Has Been Linked to Brain Damage and Breast Cancer

 

 

 How Did Soy Foods Become So Popular?

If it seems like soy foods appeared out of nowhere to be regarded as the “miracle health food” of the 21st Century, it’s because they did.

From 1992 to 2006, soy food sales increased from $300 million to nearly $4 billion, practically overnight, according to the Soyfoods Association of North America. This growth came about due to a massive shift in attitudes about soy. And this shift was no accident—it was the result of a massive investment in advertising by the soy industry that’s been wildly successful.

Soy is indeed big business, very big business.

From 2000 to 2007, U.S. food manufacturers introduced more than 2,700 new soy-based foods, and new soy products continue to appear on your grocer’s shelves.

According to the survey Consumer Attitudes About Nutrition 2008 (by the United Soybean Board):

• As of 2007, 85 percent of consumers perceive soy products as healthful

• 33 percent of Americans eat soy foods or beverages at least once a month

• 70 percent of consumers believe soybean oil is good for them

• 84 percent of consumers agree with the FDA’s claim that consuming 25 grams of soy protein daily reduces your risk of heart disease

This is a tragic case of shrewd marketing and outright lies taking root among the masses with the end result of producing large profits for the soy industry and impaired health for most who have been deceived into using unfermented soy long-term..

As you can see from the extensive list of articles below, there is a large amount of scientific research showing that soy is not the nutritional panacea of the 21^st Century.

 

 

The Dark Side of Soy

 

The vast majority of soy at your local market is not a health food. The exception is fermented soy, which I’ll explain more about later and even worse GMO soy that is contaminated with large pesticide residues as the reason it is GMO is so they can spray the potent toxic herbicide Roundup on them to improve crop production by killing the weeds.

Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of whole non-GMO soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities—protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products.

Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story, points out thousands of studies linking soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer and heart disease.

Here is just a sampling of the health effects that have been linked to soy consumption:

• Breast cancer

• Brain damage

• Infant abnormalities

• Thyroid disorders

• Kidney stones

• Immune system impairment

• Severe, potentially fatal food allergies

• Impaired fertility

• Danger during pregnancy and nursing

Soy proponents will argue that soy-based foods (they lump the fermented ones with the unfermented) will protect you from everything from colon, prostate and breast cancer to strokes, osteoporosis, and asthma.

But said enthusiasts never mention the studies that illuminate soy’s downside and all of the dangers posed to your health, which are based on sound research.

Another unfortunate fact is that 80 percent of the world’s soy is used in farm animal feed, which is why soy production is contributing to deforestation. Some soy propagandists have suggested that the solution to this is for all of us to become vegetarians—a reckless recommendation rooted in total ignorance about nutrition—whereas a far better solution is a major overhaul in how farm animals are fed and raised.

What Makes Soy Such a Risky Food to Eat?

 

Here is a summary of soy’s most glaring problems.

1.     91 percent of soy grown in the US is genetically modified (GM). The genetic modification is done to impart resistance to the toxic herbicide Roundup. While this is meant to increase farming efficiency and provide you with less expensive soy, the downside is that your soy is loaded with this toxic pesticide. The plants also contain genes from bacteria that produce a protein that has never been part of the human food supply.

GM soy has been linked to an increase in allergies. Disturbingly, the only published human feeding study on GM foods ever conducted verified that the gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of our gut bacteria and continues to function. This means that years after you stop eating GM soy, you may still have a potentially allergenic protein continuously being produced in your intestines.

Even more frightening is the potential for GM soy to cause infertility in future generations, which has been evidenced by recent Russian research.

2.     Soy contains natural toxins known as “anti-nutrients.”

Soy foods contain anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, soyatoxin, phytates, protease inhibitors, oxalates, goitrogens and estrogens. Some of these factors interfere with the enzymes you need to digest protein. While a small amount of anti-nutrients would not likely cause a problem, the amount of soy that many Americans are now eating is extremely high.

3.     Soy contains hemagglutinin.

Hemagglutinin is a clot-promoting substance that causes your red blood cells to clump together. These clumped cells are unable to properly absorb and distribute oxygen to your tissues.

4.     Soy contains goitrogens

Goitrogens are substances that block the synthesis of thyroid hormones and interfere with iodine metabolism, thereby interfering with your thyroid function.

5.     Soy contains phytates.

Phytates (phytic acid) bind to metal ions, preventing the absorption of certain minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc -- all of which are co-factors for optimal biochemistry in your body. This is particularly problematic for vegetarians, because eating meat reduces the mineral-blocking effects of these phytates (so it is helpful—if you do eat soy—to also eat meat).

6.     Soy is loaded with the isoflavones genistein and daidzein

Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen, which is a plant compound resembling human estrogen. These compounds mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen, and have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues. Soy phytoestrogens are known to disrupt endocrine function, may cause infertility, and may promote breast cancer in women.

Drinking even two glasses of soymilk daily for one month provides enough of these compounds to alter your menstrual cycle. Although the FDA regulates estrogen-containing products, no warnings exist on soy.

7.     Soy has toxic levels of aluminum and manganese

Soybeans are processed (by acid washing) in aluminum tanks, which can leach high levels of aluminum into the final soy product. Soy formula has up to 80 times higher manganese than is found in human breast milk.

8.     Soy infant formula puts your baby’s health at risk.

Nearly 20 percent of U.S. infants are now fed soy formula, but the estrogens in soy can irreversibly harm your baby’s sexual development and reproductive health. Infants fed soy formula take in an estimated five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day.

Infants fed soy formula have up to 20,000 times the amount of estrogen in circulation as those fed other formulas!

There is also the issue of pesticides and genetic modification.

Soy foods are both heavily sprayed with pesticides and genetically modified (GM). More than 80 percent of the soy grown in the United States is GM. And more than 90 percent of American soy crops are GM.

Since the introduction of GM foods in 1996, we’ve had an upsurge in low birth weight babies, infertility, and other problems in the U.S. population, and animal studies thus far have shown devastating effects from consuming GM soy.

You may want to steer clear of soy products for no other reason than a commitment to avoiding GM foods... unless you wish to be a lab animal for this massive uncontrolled experiment by the biotech industry.

 

What Soy Products are Good For You?

 

I want to be clear that I am not opposed to all soy. Soy can be incredibly healthful, but ONLY if it is organic and properly fermented.

After a long fermentation process, the phytate and “anti-nutrient” levels of soybeans are reduced, and their beneficial properties become available to your digestive system.

You may have heard that Japanese people live longer and have lower rates of cancer than Americans because they eat so much soy—but it’s primarily fermented soy that they consume, and it’s always been that way.

Fermented soy products are the only ones I recommend consuming.

These are the primary fermented soy products you’ll find:

• Tempeh a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.

• Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).

• Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor.

• Soy sauce, which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes; be wary because many varieties on the market today are made artificially using a chemical process.

Please note that tofu is NOT on this list. Tofu is not fermented, so is not among the soy foods I recommend.

 

Vitamin K2: One of the Major Benefits of Fermented Soy

 

One of the main benefits of fermented soy, especially natto, is that it is the best food source of vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is essential to preventing osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and diseases of the brain such as dementia, and protecting you from various cancers including prostate, lung, liver cancer and leukemia.

Vitamin K acts synergistically with vitamin D to keep you healthy.

Vitamin K is sometimes referred to as the “forgotten vitamin” because its benefits are often overlooked. It was named after the word “Koagulation,” to reflect its essential role in blood clotting. In fact, the enzyme nattokinase—derived from natto—is safer and more powerful than aspirin in dissolving blood clots, and has been used safely for more than 20 years.

If you enjoy natto or some of the other fermented soy foods, you can get several milligrams of vitamin K2 from them each day (this level far exceeds the amount of vitamin K2 found even in dark green vegetables).

Unfortunately, the health benefits of many of the fermented soy foods fall by the wayside because many Americans do not enjoy their flavor.

If you don’t want to consume natto to get your vitamin K2, the next best thing would be to get use supplemental Vitamin K2 (MK-7). Remember, vitamin K must be taken with a source of fat in order to be absorbed.

I suggest adults consume about 150 mcg of vitamin K2 daily.

Medical Problems Caused by Soy: Legal Action Request

 

Tips for Avoiding Unwanted Soy Foods

 

For a simple rule of thumb, just remember that unless soy is fermented (tempeh, miso, natto, or traditionally made soy sauce), you’re better off avoiding it.

Soy foods to avoid include:

Tofu

TVP (texturized vegetable protein) or soy protein isolate, which contains a large amount of msg, which you should definitely not consume

• Soybean oil

• Soymilk

• Soy cheese, soy ice cream, soy yogurt

• Soy “meat” (meatless products made of TVP)

• Soy protein

• Edamame

• Soy infant formula

The best way to eliminate non-fermented soy from your diet is to avoid all processed foods and instead purchase whole foods that you prepare yourself.

If you do buy packaged foods, you can check the label to see if it contains soy. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, which took effect in January 2006, requires that food manufacturers list soy on the label, because it’s one of the top eight food allergens.

So, even if soy is hidden in colors, flavors, or spice blends added to foods, it must be clearly stated on the label.

One other common source of soy is lecithin which is used as a emulsifier in many foods and supplements. Most lecithin in the US is derived from soy but there are some newer products that extract it from organic sunflower. We switched over to the organic sunflower lecithin a few years ago in all of our products.

If you wish to know more about soy, I have provided a list of links below to the many articles I’ve posted over the years on this subject. Remember, the only way to avoid falling victim to shrewd marketing and misinformation is to become knowledgeable about what the research actually says, and this is often different from what is commonly passed around as “fact.”

 

 

Soy is NOT a Health Food

 

• Newest Research On Why You Should Avoid Soy

• Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin?

• The Evidence Against Soy

• What's So Bad About Tofu?

• Why Soy Is NOT the Health Food You Think it Is

• The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food

• Concerns Regarding Soybeans

• More Evidence Soy is Not as Healthy as Originally Believed

• Soy Milk is Unhealthy

• Experts Finally Recognize The Dangers With Soy

• Soy Myth Exposed: Soy is Not a Health Food

• The Truth About Soy

• What You Don't Know About America's Favorite Health Food

• Think Soy is Healthy? Here’s Why it’s Not as Good as You Think

• Soy Milk is Gaining Popularity in America

• Researchers Take a Second Look at Soy Foods

• Response To Those Who Believe Soy Is Healthy

• They're Taking The Joy Out Of Soy

• ABC News does special on soy Friday. (Special on 20/20 about dangers of soy)

• New Avoid Soy Update

• Soy: Too Good to be True

• Learn the Truth About Soy. Just How Much Soy Do Asians Eat?

 

The Danger of Soy for Infants, Children and Pregnant Women

 

• Pregnant Women Should Not Eat Soy Products

• Link Between High Soy Diet During Pregnancy and Nursing and Eventual Developmental Changes in Children

• Using Soy in Schools?

• Soy Weakens Your Immune System

• Soy is an Endocrine Disrupter and Can Disrupt Your Child’s Health

How Soy Infant Formulas Can Devastate Your Child’s Health

 

• Which Infant Formulas Contain Hidden Toxic Chemicals?

• Soy Formula Exposes Infants To High Hormone Levels

• Finally Infant Soy Formula Under Investigation

• Healthy Alternative to Conventional Infant Formula, Part I

• Soy Formula May Stunt the Intestinal Growth in Your Baby

• Soy Formula Kills Three Babies

• Soy Baby Formula Linked to Behavioral Problems

• Experts Dispute JAMA Soy Infant Formula Study

• Australian Pediatric Soy Protein Formula Policy

• Soy Milk Is Safe! That Is What the Formula Industry Says

• Responses to Manganese in Soy Infant Formula Article

• How Safe is Soy Infant Formula?

• Learn the Truth About Soy. Just How Much Soy Do Asians Eat?

• Genetically Engineered Soybeans May Cause Allergies

• Monsanto Under Investigation by Seven U.S. States

• FDA Scientists Wary of Soy

Government and Agribusiness Shenanigans

 

• Why Silk Soy Milk's Parent Company is Throwing American Farmers and Consumers Under the Bus

• Weston A. Price Foundation to FDA: Soy is No Health Food

• Soy Ruled No Health Food

• Research Uncovers Yet Another Soy Myth

• Soy 'Miracle' Turns Bad in Argentina

• If You're Suffering From a Medical Problem Caused by Soy, You May Now be Able to Take Lega

• The Shadow of Soy

• Scientists Protest Soy Approval

• Soybean Crisis

Soy and Your Reproductive System

 

• Soy Supplements Fail to Help Menopause Symptoms

• Soy Has Little, if Any, Effect on Heart Disease, Hot Flashes

• Eating Soy Can Decrease Your Fertility

• Soy-Based Foods No Good As A Hormone Replacement

• What Works Better for Hormones--Soy or Flax?

• Soy Supplements can Decrease Sexual Behavior

• Chemical in Soybeans Causes Sexual Dysfunction in Male Rats

• Caution Urged on Soy Menopause Remedies

• Even Cheetahs Can’t Tolerate Soybeans

• Doubt Cast On Soy for Menopause

• Cancer, Heart Health: Making Sense of Soy

• Study Doubts Soy For Hot Flashes-Supplements May Not Work

Soy and Your Thyroid

 

• Fatigue, Dry Skin, Gaining Weight? See Why You'd Better Check Your Thyroid!

• Soy Formulas and the Effects of Isoflavones on the Thyroid

Soy and Your Brain

 

• Why Tofu Wrecks Your Brain

• Too Much Tofu Induces Brain Aging

• Soy and Brain Damage

• Soy May Cause Cancer and Brain Damage

Soy and Your Heart

 

• Soy Has Little, if Any, Effect on Heart Disease, Hot Flashes

• Soy No Help to Women With Heart Disease Prevention

• Soy Can Increase Heart Disease Risk

• Soy: Too Good To Be True

Soy and Your Kidneys

 

• Soy Can Lead to Kidney Stones

Soy and Cancer Risk

 

• Soy Maker Omits Studies That Soy May Cause Cancer

• Certain Soy and Oyster Sauces Containing Cancer-Causing Chemicals

• Experts Concerned About Soy and Breast Cancer

• Soy May Cause Cancer and Brain Damage

Soy and Allergies

 

• Genetically Engineered Soybeans May Cause Allergies

• Soy Can Cause Severe Allergic Reactions

 

Other Soy Issues

 

• Rebuttal to Seriously Confused Soy Enthusiast

• Don’t Be Fooled--Calcium Content in Soy and Rice Milk Misleading

• Massive Deforestation of the Amazon for Soybean Crops

From Doctor Mercola @ http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/07/the-evidence-against-soy.aspx and http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx

Visit the Mercola Video Library

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