Moderation - Even With Health Food, What the Experts are Saying About Soy!

There is no such a thing as too much of a good thing or is there? As a recent graduate of one of the top online schools for nursing, I was asked by a friend who was pursuing an online masters degree to look into the benefits of soy as she was premenopausal and couldn't pick up a book without reading about what soy does for a woman in that stage of her life. Also being a vegetarian and knowing that soy is an excellent source of non-animal protein, it just seemed the most natural choice to gravitate towards tofu and edamame. But lo and behold, what I found was truly shocking, considering that I take every chance to chow down on soy in spite of not being particularly fond of its texture. What was interesting was that soy is great for the body in moderate quantities but anything over a certain critical mass could do a number on your system.

Soy For Women: Recent studies have shown that soy can have harmful effects on female fertility and reproductive development. This is mostly worrisome because soy is ubiquitous in most processed foods. Recently, replacing soy for everything gluten has become commonplace with rampant wheat allergies across the board, so it comes as no surprise that the ingredient list of every box of crackers is punctuated with soy this or soy that. So if moderation is an important aspect of your diet, it is especially true with the soybean.

Soy For Men: While extensive studies have been done on the effects of soy on women, men have mostly been neglected in this arena. Recent research has pointed out that the high concentrations of isoflavones in soy have been linked to an increase in aggressive behavior in men. So while isoflavones have tremendous cancer fighting and cardiovascular benefits, it hardly makes up for road rage, does it? While the dose makes a difference when it comes to soy, gender seems to play an even bigger role. An even more bothersome study from Hawaii has shown that excessive soybean consumption in men leads to brain atrophy and loss of cognition.

Considering how reliant our society has become on prepackaged foods, experts recommend that although tofu is a miracle food, moderation is key unless losing your way and getting mad about it is okay by you!