Medical Questions » Diet Questions » Question No. 1209
| Question: | I read that soya is dangerous because it interferes with your hormones. Is this true? |
| Answer: | Soya does indeed contain substances called phytooestrogens which research has shown to affect hormonal function - but positively. These natural chemicalsmainly two called genistein and daidzeinact as weak oestrogens in the body but in a very special, balancing way. So if your natural oestrogen levels are low, they will lock onto oestrogen receptor sites on cells and act as weak oestrogens, thereby raising levels, which could be particularly useful during the menopause. Conversely, if your oestrogen levels are high (which can cause premenstrual symptoms), they lock onto the receptors and actually block them from receiving excess oestrogen or toxic chemicals from the environment such as pesticides or plastics which have oestrogen-like effects. Only one study I know of has shown soya extracts to be harmful.
In this experiment, rats were fed extremely high amounts. Eating soya products regularly has been shown to reduce menopausal symptoms, PMS and hormone-related cancers such as prostate cancer.
I would not, however, recommend giving infants large amounts of soya, for example by feed- ing them soya milk formula exclusively. This is simply because we don' t know the effects of a large amount of phytoestrogens during such a vital growing phase. Note also that adults eating excessive amounts of soya can develop an allergy to it, especially if their digestion isn' t good. There is also some evidence that allergy to soya can run in families, so be careful if other members of your family are allergic to soya. |
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