Not Naturally Healthy

There has been a lot of talk involving soy health benefits – so much in fact that it’s becoming synonymous with eating healthy. Like a presidential promotional campaign, somehow, people are left with the idea of soy just being good for you without any real idea why or if the dangers of soy could apply to them. It’s time to get down to the facts.

Now, the FDA or the Food and Drug Administration is a whole hearted supporter of soy, calling it source of complete protein. Now, a complete protein contains massive amounts of amino acids, which we all need. Due in large part to this, vegans and vegetarians have made it a staple of menus and meals around the world.

The FDA has often stated that soy health benefits are the reason they beat out other beans, calling it a fantastic alternative to animal foods. As with anything new, viewpoints are polarized. There’s another camp running around proclaiming the dangers of soy, or at least that it wasn’t as perfect as everyone’s running around claiming it to be.

The dangers of soy may or may not be enough to deter people, but a person should still be informed. Websites around the internet have taken on this task. The information on these websites states that soybeans can contain potentially dangerous toxins and the like and the way that these soybeans are harvested and handled does little to get rid of these dangers.

It’s linked to a number of negative details from infertility, hypothyroidism and even breast cancer. Soy products tend to increase the chances of breast cancer cells growing and becoming stronger. There have been many studies trying to link the two together. For men, too much soy in the diet could lead to decrease testosterone. Now, the effect of getting less of what makes a man a man isn’t clear at this point, though the feared and hypothesized effects include of course, a reduced or weakened libido and more feminine characteristics.

Some dangers of soy are more basic that a complex interaction of chemicals – rather, it might come right down to an allergy and despite what the FDA or the campaign might have you believing, it is actually quite common.

Unfortunately, medical texts are have surprisingly sparse detail on the subject, making it hard to truly figure out how prevalent it is. There is also some fear that soy can provoke cancers other than breast cancer as it can do so in laboratory mice and rats – enough fear in fact that people with cancer are warned against taking in soy.

When you get right down to it, soy is still a highly contested product and despite the aggressive campaigns strewn about everywhere probably shouldn’t be touted as a perfect health food yet.

There’s far too much conflicting information on so many levels to be truly sure of its benefits. Whatever the case, it is still important to remain knowledgeable and to be aware of both soy health benefits and the dangers of soy.