The Soyfoods Council

Soy Good Health Information

Myth #5: Soyfoods should be avoided because they contain compounds that are harmful to the thyroid.

Reality There is no reason for the vast majority of people to be concerned about the effect of soyfoods on thyroid function.  Even hypothyroid patients can safely consume soyfoods    The impact of soyfoods on thyroid function has been studied for more than 70 years so a lot is known about this relationship [1].  But before discussing this... [Read more of this review]

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Myth #4: Soyfoods contain estrogen and men who eat them may experience feminization or even impair their fertility.

Reality Soyfoods do not contain estrogen and the preponderance of clinical evidence indicates soyfoods do not feminize men.  Further, soyfoods potentially offer men several health benefits.   It is ironic that there are claims that soyfoods exert feminizing effects when these foods have been consumed for centuries by Asian men without... [Read more of this review]

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Myth #3: Soyfoods contain compounds that inhibit the absorption of minerals (including iron, calcium and zinc) and, because of that, can cause mineral deficiencies or imbalances.

Reality Soyfoods do not cause mineral deficiencies or imbalances and recent evidence indicates mineral absorption from soy is much better than previously thought.    For a food to be considered a good source of a nutrient requires not only that it contain ample amounts of that nutrient, but that the nutrient is well absorbed.  There are factors... [Read more of this review]

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Myth #2: People in Japan and other Asian countries consume only small amounts of soyfoods and use them primarily as condiments.

Reality Soy intake varies greatly among Asian countries, but in Japan and some locations in China for which there are excellent data, soyfoods play an important dietary role providing substantial amounts of protein and calories.    Over the past decade a large amount of information on the soy intake of Asians has been published in the peer-reviewed... [Read more of this review]

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Myth #1: Anybody who has had breast cancer should avoid traditional soyfoods such as tofu and soymilk.

Actuality There is essentially no human evidence indicating that traditional soyfoods increase tumor recurrence in breast cancer patients.  In fact, there is evidence suggesting consuming soyfoods may actually be of benefit to such women.   Breast cancer incidence and mortality rates in soyfood-consuming countries such as Japan are much... [Read more of this review]

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