Green for Life
Studies Show Soy Increases Breast Cancer Cell Spreading
大豆加快乳腺癌细胞的扩散
Soy is a very unfortunate story. So many of us have trusted that it’s an excellent source of protein and felt good when choosing soy. Not only is unfermented soy not good for us, it does harm!! Soy is everywhere so it pays to check labels and avoid wherever you can. Various previous reports by a variety of scientist and cancer foundations have encouraged consumption of soy to reduce breast cancer. There has been a great deal of research that completely disproves these claims. Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York’s researchers are now warning women that adding soy to your diet will increase the rate of breast cancer cell spreading.
The Chinese did not eat unfermented soybeans as they did other legumes such as lentils because the soybean contains large quantities of natural toxins or “anti nutrients”. A 1998 survey found that the average daily amount of soy protein consumed in Japan was about eight grams for men and seven for women – less than two teaspoons. Americans are consuming amounts far exceeding this quantity.
First among the anti-nutrients in soy are potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion.These inhibitors are large, tightly folded proteins that are not completely deactivated during ordinary cooking. They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer.
Accelerates The Progression of Breast Cancer
Researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center compared tumor tissues from before and after a 30-day regimen of consuming a soy supplement while a control group took a placebo. They found changes in the expressions of certain genes, that are known to promote cell growth, in those women taking the soy supplement.
The findings led them to conclude the soy protein could potentially accelerate the progression of the disease. The study states: ‘These data raise concern that soy may exert a stimulating effect on breast cancer in a sub set of women.’
Thousands of women are now consuming soy in the belief that it protects them against breast cancer. Yet, in 1996, researchers found that women consuming soy protein isolate had an increased incidence of epithelial hyperplasia, a condition that presages malignancies. A year later, dietary genistein was found to stimulate breast cells to enter the cell cycle – a discovery that led the study authors to conclude that women should not consume soy products to prevent breast cancer.
“It’s a myth that soy prevents breast cancer,” says Kayla T. Daniel, PhD, author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. “Numerous studies show that soy can cause, contribute to or even accelerate the growth of cancer.”
All those taking part in this study had recently had breast biopsies and were diagnosed with stage one or two breast cancer. They were all scheduled to have a mastectomy or lumpectomy two to three weeks later.The researchers said it is not yet clear if the effects can be reversed.
Genetically Modified
Any ingredient listed as soybean or soy on any product ingredient list has a 93% chance of being GMO if it is not listed as organic. Soy has one of the highest percentages of contamination by pesticides of any of our foods. Even organic soy cannot be trusted. Soy is very problematic crop. Non-organic sources of soy in many agricultural practices are being sold as organic.
In 2011, the USDA uncovered a plot to import fraudulent organic certificates produced by an uncertified supplier in China. The Chinese firm used the counterfeit certificate to represent non-organic crops, including soybeans, millet and buckwheat, as certified organic. These types of things are happening every year and only a fraction are being discovered. Even domestically sourced organic soybean crops are now being investigated for having GMO origins. Organic soy also does not change the toxicity of unfermented sources so abundant in the food supply.
Most Soy is Unfermented
Phytates in unfermented soy products actually obstruct absorption of protein and four key minerals: calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc better than fermented sources. In their natural form, soybeans contain phytochemicals with toxic effects on the human body. The three major anti-nutrients are phytates, enzyme inhibitors and goitrogens. These anti-nutrients are the way nature protects the soybean plant so that it can live long enough to effectively reproduce. They function as the immune system of the plant, offering protection from the radiation of the sun, and from invasion by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. They make the soybean plant unappetizing to foraging animals.
All plants have some anti-nutrient properties, but the soybean plant is especially rich in these chemicals. If they are not removed by extensive preparation such as fermentation or soaking, soybeans are one of the worst foods a person can eat. The net protein utilization of unfermented soy is 61 which quite low. The most common soy (99%) sold at major grocery retailers in soy milks and processed foods is unfermented soy. It is deadly.
Unfermented soy has been linked to digestive distress, immune system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems for men and women, allergies, ADD and ADHD, higher risk of heart disease and cancer, malnutrition, and loss of libido.
Fermented sources of soy such as natto, miso, tempeh and some fermented tofus are likely the only types of soy that should be consumed by humans and that’s only if you can get around the crap shoot that they’re non-GMO and organic (which there is no guarantee despite labeling).
When food is eaten, digestive enzymes such as amylase lipase and protease are secreted into the digestive tract to help break it down and free nutrients for assimilation into the body. The high content of enzyme inhibitors such as trypsin in unfermented soybeans interferes with this process and makes carbohydrates and proteins from soybeans impossible to completely digest.
Soy Dangers
-High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
-Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
-Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
-Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
-Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B12.
-Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.
-Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
-Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
-Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
-Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.
Sources:
complete-health-and-happiness.com
westonaprice.org
nlm.nih.gov
mercola.com
- See more at: http://cancercrackdown.org/
The Latest Research on Soy and Breast Cancer: What You Need to Know
What a new study has to say on this endless health debate
September 9, 2014
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/soy-and-breast-cancer
Could your daily soy lattes up your risk of breast cancer or lend a protective effect? So far, the research has been conflicting. While some studies have shown that soy can increase tumor growth at the cellular level, other research has found that soy may actually have a protective effect. However, most of what we know about this link comes from epidemiological studies (looking at broad population data), which have not been able to find a clear cause-and-effect link between soy and breast cancer.
Now, a new study published in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute directly compared women who took soy supplements with women who took a placebo to determine what effect soy would have on the expression of genes associated with breast cancer.
The researchers looked at 140 patients who had been recently diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. In the 2-3 weeks before their surgery (either a mastectomy or lumpectomy), these women were given either soy supplements (the equivalent of about four 16 oz. glasses of soy milk or four large servings of tofu) or a placebo every day. "The hypothesis was that soy food for a limited period of time could influence the behavior of already established breast cancer," says study co-author Jacqueline Bromberg, M.D., Ph.D., breast medical oncologist and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
After a few weeks, they found that some women in the soy group had high levels of genistein, a metabolite of soy, while the women in the placebo group did not. And interestingly, patients with high levels of this metabolite saw an increase in the genes associated with tumor growth. However, it's important to note that the tumors were not actually growing better in these women.
MORE: New Study Shows Diet is Crucial After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Basically, taking a huge amount of soy in a short period of time led to changes in gene proliferation for some women with invasive breast cancer. But importantly, this didn't lead to an actual change in the appearance or growth of a tumor, explains Bromberg. While the researchers definitely saw changes in the expression of these genes, they don't know if this would lead to even greater changes if the women had been taking soy supplements for longer than 2-3 weeks.
So does that mean you should limit soy or avoid it completely if you have breast cancer? Not necessarily. Like many things, soy seems to be safe in moderation, and there is definitely research showing it's protective effects against a variety of cancers, including breast cancer. That said, this study does suggest that high amounts of soy may have an effect on women who have already been diagnosed. Bromberg notes that normal amounts of soy are probably fine for women with breast cancer, but she strongly advises against taking soy supplements. Moderation in a healthy diet is key, she says.
MORE: How Your Weight Impacts Your Breast Cancer Risk
"Our study simply says that [after taking] large amounts of soy for a short period of time, a subgroup of patients who had high levels of the soy metabolite genistein had an increase in the expression of genes involved in the growth of tumor cells," says Bromberg. "But that did not translate to an increase in actual growth."
So there's no need to ditch tofu and edamame—just make sure you're not going overboard and talk to your doctor if you've been diagnosed with breast cancer and are worried about your consumption. For more information, check out these best (and worst) foods to protect yourself from breast cancer.
MORE: New Research on the Birth Control-Breast Cancer Link