Quote from a previous thread.."Having said all that I would never, ever, drink soymilk regularly. I've seen what large amounts of soy has done to my friends health and I steer clear of that stuff apart from the ocasional power bar or the like" --- So is soy protein like Tofu, soymilk bad? i was allways told soy had great health benifits in part of a balaced diet?

Do a search here and Google. You will get both sides of the coin. Just to be clear though, the people I have seen had problems ate a very large amount of soy for several years. Whether 20g/day is good/bad is debatable, but when stuff like this has a heavy connection to the farming industry and special interest grounps and so much political implications (like with the dairy industry) I tend to be very suspicious.

When something that is essentially 'cheap' and easy to grow/produce is touted as the next heathiest food so we can all consume a little (like 20g/day) without noticing any adverse effects I step back and wonder what is really motivating proponents of soy.

bad, soy raises estrogen levels

bad, soy raises estrogen levels

Not true at all. The plant compounds in Soy are sometimes mistakenly compared to human estrogen. The compounds are called "phytoestrogens", and actually help regulate estrogen levels in humans. However, there are studies that show a decrease in testosterone levels in lab animals.

Quote from a previous thread.."Having said all that I would never, ever, drink soymilk regularly. I've seen what large amounts of soy has done to my friends health and I steer clear of that stuff apart from the ocasional power bar or the like" --- So is soy protein like Tofu, soymilk bad? i was allways told soy had great health benifits in part of a balaced diet?

I've heard this debate regarding soy products for some time now, both the positive (heart healthy, clean protein) and negative (estrogen) for some time now.

I would guess that unless your body has a particularly adverse reaction to soybeans and/or derived soy-based products, following the old diet adage 'Variety and moderation' when consuming anything, including soy products, would probably eliminate the possiblity of soy consumption having a negative impact on your body.

So my bet is that most people whose bodies have problems as a result from consuming soy (and whose bodies are otherwise normal and healthy) stem from consuming far too much for too long; esp. as some kind of 'quick fix' or panacea.

As for what 'too much' might constitute, there's probably some kind of medical/scientific guidelines that one could consult, but I think that good ol' fashioned common sense (and/or gut instinct, hyuk-hyuk-hyuk) is really all that's required.

My $.02

~B