Soy & Women...

[ahodro1]

Can anyone out there clairify the notion that too much soy is "bad" for you, women especially?  Truth or myth?

Edit:  Ok yes too much of anything is "bad" for you - I mean, if I eat tofu 2 times a week and a cup of soymilk 3 times a week from now (32) until death (hopefully a long way off from now)... Some co-workers were telling me that too much

Comments

[wefoughtharder]

myth. i'm a woman and i eat tons of soy and am fine. as are all of my female vegan friends.

[dagda_ollathir]

Myth. Soy has phytoestrogens, which bind to estrogen receptors but have a much weaker effect- so they help you block out all the estrogens in the water (birth control pills = women pissing out excess estrogen into the water supply).

Also, if people tell you that soy is bad because of "horomones", ask them if they know about the buttloads of hormones in the dairy and meat they eat.

[richips]

Wait, so, that means you end up with less estrogen? Because i have heard of people eating more soy to get more estrogen i.e. as a "natural" stimulant for breast growth. total myth, eh?

[dagda_ollathir]

It still acts like estrogen, but is weaker.

[socraticomatic]

But you just said phytoestrogens "block out all the estrogens in the water". So that would suggest less oestrogen action overall.

[noodlebug24]

too much of anything is bad for you, even healthy things

[seattleotaku]

Ya beat me to it. ^_^

[neva_butterfly]

Too much water is bad for you, it killed a woman not too long ago. That said "too much" is a relative concept. If you eat nothing but soy you might have a problem. But as above posters have said, soy is good for women in normal amounts.

[dagda_ollathir]

I've read a few studies where in order to get neg. effects from soy, you would have to eat megadoses (and even if you ate just soy products each day, it would be hard to reach that "megadose"- in the study they used some sort of refined soy supplement thingey)

Total myth

[exairetemechane]

Let's put it this way, even if soy IS bad for you, it's still a million times better than loading up your body with dairy and meat.