Although I covered this topic in detail in an earlier article HERE, it’s been a while since I updated the topic. So, here’s my latest thoughts on the issue of soy via this vid.
Will Brink is the owner of the Brinkzone Blog. Will has over 30 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
He’s also been published in peer reviewed journals.
Will is the author of the popular e-books, both accompanied by private members forum access , Bodybuilding Revealed & Fat Loss Revealed.
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I first became aware of some problems with soy when reading articles by Dr. William Wong, ND, PhD. Actually he pointed out the problems in general with phyto-estrogens and men.
Dr. Mercola has various articles on soy which you can Google and read. However, he has gotten a lot of flack from those articles.
I would agree with Will Brink that one should not worry about occasional consumption of any food. Here is the good news: Fermented soy products are good for you, so if you like tempeh, natto, miso, or soy sauce, you are getting some health benefits.
Personally, I like grass-fed hormone free whey, free-range eggs, fish w/o mercury, and free range fowl. I cook with tempeh. It would be nice to consume natto, because of all of the benefits… but I understand one has to get a taste for it.
Thanks for sharing your insights Will! What do you think of a product such as Visalus which claims to have the soy isoflavone that leads to estrogen removed? I was thinking of adding a scoop or two to my existing protein shake as it doesn’t have a high amount of protein per scoop. Is it possible to remove the isoflavone as they say and would a couple of scoops per day cause much of a decrease in testosterone levels. Thanks again!
Tom
If they remove the phyto estrogens, then obviously it’s no longer an issue (and it’s unclear if it’s an issue with them too as mentioned…), but as I said in the vid, unless you are a strict vegan, why bother with soy at all?
Thanks Will . . . great information
You fail to mention ninety percent of soy grown in US is GMO’d. This alone will make me avoid it. What ever possible positive effects, I still avoid it because it is highly processed. Organic, fermented soy in very small amounts may provide some nutritional benefits (vitamin K in natto for example). As far a lowering cholesterol….why? It is an important substance in the body. Low cholesterol (below 200) is dangerous. I don’t believe the hype. The heavy marketing of soy as a health food is response to the billions of dollars being made from it. I don’t believe it is food fit for animals as well as humans.
I failed to mention it because it’s not relevant to the topic at hand. Topic was not GMO vs non GMO soy, but the impact of soy on hormones in men and if men should avoid soy due to that possibility. GMO/non GMO has no effects on that particular issue. If people wish to avoid GMO soy products that’s fine, but it’s another topic altogether and not relevant to my focus here.
Cholesterol below 200 is dangerous? Anyone reading this should just google “cholesterol levels” and find reputable references for what is accepted as optimal HDL, LDL, total cholesterol.
Interesting, and balanced, take on soy. Do you have any comments on the (sometimes) popular Reliv products, either as it relates to their claims of ‘good’ soy, or as a supplement?
Thanx. I always attempt to take an objective balanced view of a topic. Sadly, hype and fiction are how most make their $$$ and so, they have to stretch the facts and the data to get people to buy X product or book or what ever. I try hard not to do that! 🙂
Thanks Will, this was bubbling in the back of my mind a bit. I take my whey protien with hi fibre low fat soy milk. The missus brought up the phyto estrogen studies a few times but I havn’t stressed over it too much as I havn’t noticed drops in manly behaviour, ie, I still leave the toilet seat up and swear at the television when my team is losing, (and the missus still clips me over the ear for both), but I was always wondering if I was cheating myself a bit of mojo for the gym.
What do you think of Quinoa? My trainer loves it. “Much better that rice or any other grain”, he says.
I’ve been avoiding soy at every turn, can’t say I’ve noticed any difference.
Like your articles and videos, no matter how busy I am; I make sure to read your articles and watch your videos.
I’ve recommended your web-site to others.
I eat quinoa, amazing and complete source of protein, but too much gives me a gut ache. Good stuff for vegetarians though.
Soy is one of those subjects sort of like Solomon judging on the two mothers claim of the same baby as their own. Your view on the soy subject tends to remain the same – congratulations on your bottom-line emphasis on better sources of protein. May I suggest one point that should be considered: Almost all U.S. soy and corn crops falls under GMO based – and Dr. Mercola and Jon Barron advise avoid – AVOID. Which I do! GMO crops are banned in most of the world’s nations for good reason. I’ve greatly enjoyed your expert advice on exercise and diet. In fact your practical suggestions are usually the best on the net . Will, thanks for your great advice! Dave
See my comments above on GMO. There may be issues with GMO, and reasons for concern, but I have seen no data it poses additional risks or has nutritional differences per se. I recommend you not get your health advice from people like Mercola who is big on hype and hyperbole and very short on solid science, and far more interested in selling you something being endorsed then objective science. His “position” on whey for example, is a joke and he lost any credibility with real scientists a long time ago.
Goods points, how about viewing soy from another angle, Soy are almost 100% GMO.
and consuming non-fermented soy is actually toxic to humans.
If you have some legit data to supply on that statement, I’ll be interested to read it. I have yet to find any that finds soy is “toxic” to humans at all doses (anything can get toxic at a high enough dose) and should be universally avoided by humans. You can find plenty of poorly researched and or biased articles claiming it, I have seen legit studies showing it however….
Genistein is one of the most abundant isoflavones in soy. Isoflavones belong to the group of flavonoids. Because of its similar structure to that of human estrogen it is also called a phytoestrogen, together with daidzein. Genistein is derived from the hydrolysis of the glycoside genistin. Genistein acts to reverse the effects of estrogen loss by decreasing cytokine production and increasing transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) levels. The net effect is a decrease in receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANK-L) production. In a study twelve subjects were enrolled with a mean age of 32.25 years (range 25 to 47). Serum testosterone decreased 19% during the 4-week use of soy protein powder and increased within 2 weeks after we discontinued soy protein powder. Soy protein powder was found to induce agonist activity to ER-beta using a reporter estrogen receptor assay in yeast. Tofu was first used in monasteries in China about 2,000 years ago, in part to promote sexua labstinence, since the phytoestrogens in soy can lower testosterone levels.
Both fermented (natto, miso) and unfermented (tofu, soymilk) soyfoods have been widely consumed throughout Asia for centuries. It is often stated that fermentation improves the digestibility of soy protein. However, the digestibility of soy protein from unfermented products is already excellent—typically exceeding 90%.1
Fermentation does reduce the phytate content of soy, There may also be a decrease in trypsin inhibitor content. Finally, fermentation leads to the creation of antioxidants and peptides.
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Like everything soy is best when moderated. I haven’t read your older articles Wil, but I assume at some point you’ve covered the meatier aspects of phytic acid in soy and it’s obvious limitations as an ‘anti-nutrient’.
I’ve consumed soy daily in coffee and have never suffered due to which though, and have had my test levels checked several times to verify this.
I just tried a new protein a friend offered and didn’t realize it was soy protein. I don’t want to waste it, but do you think take a scoop or two a day would be bad? Or should I stretch it out to once or twice a week, while getting the rest of my protein from meat/whey protein?