3540: Are There Potential Negative Effects of Eating or Drinking More Soy Milk on Nutrition Advice

[00:00:00] Sierra has all the best active and outdoor brands for the super athletic stuff, like running gear for cruising up the trail. Woo! And the super athletic-ish stuff, like fishing gear for chilling by the creek. Nice cast. Fitness apparel to push for higher reps. You got this! And golf balls priced so you can afford to lose one. Or a few. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it.

[00:00:30] With Share My Trip from Uber, you can send your live trip location to the ones who matter most. Like Dan and Hannah, who always wait up to make sure their daughter gets back to her college dorm room. Or Tiffany, who's running late as usual, and her friends are tracking her trip to make sure she's actually on her way. Look! She's right there! She's three minutes away. Or Sam, who never goes anywhere without her roommate knowing exactly where she is. Some journeys are meant to be shared. Share your ride in real-time with Share My Trip on Uber. One more way Uber is putting safety at every turn.

[00:00:58] Learn more on the Uber app. It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. And I'm Dr. Neal, your host of the show. Welcome back to another special Friday edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your questions. On the other days, I read health and fitness blogs to you, kind of like an audiobook. Alright, let's get right to today's question and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:23] Hi, Dr. Neal. Here's my question. I would like to know if that is true that soy can have negative effects on health. For example, soybean or soy milk. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your question, Gabrielle. And thank you for listening to the podcast. I still remember cruising along the dairy aisles when I was still in school, and there would only be one brand of soy milk available.

[00:01:52] And usually, there was plenty of it. That's because no one really wanted to buy it because, well, let's face it, it tasted odd. It definitely didn't taste like milk and, at the same time, wasn't quite sweet enough either. And when I say people said it tasted odd, I'm being kind. Their words were often much worse and far more descriptive. But, I'm picking on soy milk here. Obviously, soy comes in many forms. Tofu, seitan, and many meat analogues.

[00:02:20] You know, those foods like Boca Burger and Garden Burgers. And of course, we can find soy in just plain old soybeans. That's where it comes from, obviously. Before I leave the topic of soy milk, I do want to mention the nutrient differences between soy milk and cow's milk. When we compare rice, coconut, or almond milk to cow's milk from a nutrient perspective, soy milk comes closest. Now, calorically, soy milk is slightly higher in calories per serving when compared to cow's milk.

[00:02:49] From there, we then tend to focus on really just two nutrients, protein and calcium. So, if you were to drink non-flavored soy milk, you know, no vanilla or chocolate flavoring added, the amount of protein per serving will be close to cow's milk. Soy milk is lower in calcium, unless during manufacturing, they add extra calcium, which we would call fortification. And just in case you're wondering, because I know it's more popular now,

[00:03:15] if we were to compare almond milk to cow's milk, almond milk may be lower in calories, protein and calcium. Now, if I were to throw coconut milk into the mix, we usually find that coconut milk is usually higher in calories when compared to cow's milk. And that's because of its higher fat content. It also tends to be lower in calcium and lower in protein when compared to cow's milk. So, again, it sounds like soy is probably the closest to cow's milk when we think about it in the context of calories and protein.

[00:03:44] But, please note, it's probably lower in calcium. And again, that may depend on whether the manufacturers fortify their soy milk with it. Now, the question is, are there benefits to drinking soy milk or consuming soy-based products? Or are they actually harmful to our health? Well, you know me, I like to look at what the research says. So, let's dive right in. Some studies have found that consuming soy early in life may lower the risk of breast cancer later.

[00:04:11] There are also some data that suggests that consuming soy products may lower bad cholesterol levels, also known as LDL cholesterol, in the blood. Soy may have these health benefits because it contains compounds called isoflavones. Isoflavones are found in many plant-based foods, soy, of course, being one of them. You can also find isoflavones in other beans and legumes. It's thought that these isoflavones reduce inflammation in the body.

[00:04:38] This is a good thing because when we're stressed or are sick or have a chronic disease, the body is experiencing some inflammation. Think of this inflammation like a fire. When you're really sick, like with the bad cases of flu, there's often lots of inflammation, which is why you may have a sore throat, a runny nose, muscle pains, you may run a fever. This is all caused by the body trying to fight off the flu. These symptoms are a result of inflammation and in this case, the inflammation is like a raging fire.

[00:05:08] Eventually, that fire will be extinguished and your symptoms will go away. But sometimes, we can have lower grade inflammation that goes on for years and years. For example, those that suffer from a lot of stress may have low grade inflammation for years and years if they don't manage it or cope with their stress effectively. Think of this like a small campfire that never gets put out. It just continues to burn. Eventually, that slow burn will start to damage the body.

[00:05:37] Isoflavones, like the ones we find in soybeans, act like a fire extinguisher. They can help reduce this inflammation in the body. Sure enough, when we look at the research, isoflavones, like the ones we find in soy, may help protect the health of our blood vessels like our arteries. It may also promote bone health and even prevent dementia later on in life. Now, as far as soy isoflavones acting like estrogen in the body, we're finding that this doesn't seem to be the case. I know that guys often worry about consuming soy products

[00:06:06] because they're afraid of the estrogen-like effects. But, have no fear. Researchers have even gone so far as to study women who have had a history of breast cancer and they wanted to see whether consuming soy makes them feel worse or whether they increase their risk of having their cancer come back. And it turns out, consuming soy may actually decrease the risk for having a recurrence of breast cancer. Now, what about those with thyroid conditions? Consuming soy products does not lead to thyroid problems.

[00:06:35] But, for those that have a diagnosed thyroid condition and are taking medications for it, it's wise to avoid consuming soy-based foods around the same time you take your thyroid meds. It's possible that it may interfere with the drug's effectiveness. Then, the last thing I need to touch on is this issue of soybeans being genetically modified. At this time, we don't know whether genetically modified foods are helpful or harmful to our health.

[00:07:00] What we can say is that genetic modification has improved food production. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I am pro or against genetically modified foods. Because the other argument is that when we genetically alter these foods, we end up messing with the food's proteins on a molecular level. In turn, when we mess with proteins, it may change how the body responds to that food. Meaning, some may experience something similar to an allergic response.

[00:07:28] This may be because our bodies aren't used to these proteins that are now being activated in these genetically modified foods. But I repeat, I can't say that this is exactly what's going on for sure. These are just some of the theories out there. So, what's the bottom line? The bottom line is consuming soy milk, tofu, soybeans, and so on is perfectly fine for most folks.

[00:07:51] It may actually prevent many chronic diseases like certain forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and protect the health of the brain. So, for now, I would say, enjoy. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show. So, I get how much the right hire matters. When you need the right person, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Stop struggling to get your job post even seen on other sites.

[00:08:18] Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.

[00:08:40] And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.

[00:09:08] Sierra has all the best active and outdoor brands you need. From athletic stuff, like a full-court pickup game, SWISH! To athletic-ish stuff, like a half-mile stroll. Get those steps in! And for morning hikes up the mountain trail, good pace! To nighttime ghost stories from the camping chair. What a twist! Whatever level of active, Sierra loves it all. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it!

[00:09:38] Thank you again for your question, Gabrielle. Now, if you want to send your questions in and get a copy of our Optimal Living Daily Workbook for doing so, you can email them to health at oldpodcast.com. That's health at oldpodcast.com. Or, if you want your voice played on the show, come by oldpodcast.com. Or, you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question.

[00:10:05] The number is 1-61-ILOVE-OHD. That's 1-614-568-3643. Thank you so much for sending me your questions. Answering them is one of my favorite parts of this show. Alright, that's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend, and I'll see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.