Category: Life Science
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soy milkI like to bring some vitals for the common people's concern. Other than the cost, there are a lot many to be analysed about soya milk and dairy milk. 

 Apart from the concern to protect our planet, which is an emergency, there are a lot many issues to consider about soy products when we consider our health. This has fewer nutrients than dairy milk and provides the essential micronutrients like calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and vitamin D by fortification only. We very well know that fortification does not yield benefits as that of the whole natural one. When it comes to processed foods, the sum of the parts does not equal the whole. Moreover, just because the nutrients that soy milk claims to have as much as in regular milk, it does not mean the body absorbs and utilizes them the same way. Moreover, the processed varieties contain additives like sugar, salt, synthetic flavoring agents, gums, and carrageenan. These added things increase weight, diabetes, damage kidneys and liver. 

Phytates or phytic acid present in Soya binds with the minerals in our regular food and prevents the absorption leading to serious deficiencies of magnesium, zinc, iron, and calcium. Thus, people on vegan and vegetarian diets that emphasize soy are at greater risk for anaemia, osteoporosis [weakness of bones causing fractures very easily] to listless. Phytates also interfere with the proper assimilation of vitamins D, A, C and B12 causing deficiency neurological problems, ulcers in the mouth etc. Soy also disturbs the absorption of proteins from our food by the trypsin inhibitors. Also the Protease inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and have caused malnutrition, thereby poor growth in children and adults. There are cases in Europe, where the parents were thrown into the prison by Judiciary, since they fed the children with a vegan diet loaded with soy, causing underdevelopment and multiple fractures in children. To add to these, the Lectins, the glycoproteins present in soy damage the fine brush-like inner lining of the intestine, thus damaging the absorption of both micro and macronutrients not only from soy but from other foods too. They also create perforations that allow the undigested food particles to pass into the bloodstream, triggering autoimmune disease. Hence, on the scale, far more women than men are vegan or vegetarian consuming more soy that who suffer from autoimmune diseases are mainly women.

 Professor. Dr. Habib Sadeghi, founder of 'Be Hive of Healing Integrative Medical Center' in Agoura Hills, USA., warns that Over 90% of Soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. Researches reveal that the Genetic material from the Genetically modified crops, enter human DNA, reprogram human genome, affect the various function of different systems of our body and "silence" other genes in humans. This definitely will unravel lists of havocs that humans never know before in us. Heavy sprayings with the herbicide glyphosate, also known as RoundUp, has been linked to birth defects in infants. Glyphosate is a carcinogen too. Due to the abundant spraying on the crops, its residue levels in the harvested crops greatly exceed the legal limit. Further, Research has shown GMO crops create kidney and liver damage, pre-cancerous conditions and immune system dysregulation. Furthermore, not lesser than 80% of all soybeans grown in the U.S. and two-thirds worldwide are genetically modified.

 Mary Vance, Wholistic Nutritionist for 'Terrain Magazine' says, "It hides in tofu dogs under aliases such as textured vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and lecithin—which is troubling since the processing required to hydrolyze soy protein into vegetable protein produces excitotoxins such as glutamate (MSG—Monosodium glutamate) and aspartate (a component of aspartame), which cause brain-cell death." Two senior U.S. government scientists, Drs. Daniel Doerge and Daniel Sheehan have revealed that chemicals in Soy could increase the risk of brain damage in both men and women and abnormalities in infants.

Hormonal Problems Induced by Soy:

 In humans, estrogen, a hormone takes care of reproductive health; bone, heart and cholesterol regulation are also governed by it. The disruption in its levels, either low or high, trigger worse problems in our health.

 "Isoflavones" in Soy are changed in humans to "phytoestrogens," which are very similar in chemical structure to the human hormone estrogen and create serious hormonal dysregulation and health risks in women, children, and especially men. Reproductive health, bone and heart health, cholesterol regulation are few in the list regulated by estrogen; when it goes less or more, it takes to damages deeper. Humans and animals appear to be the most vulnerable to the effects of soy estrogens prenatally, during infancy and puberty, during pregnancy and lactation, and during the hormonal shifts of menopause. Of all these groups, infants on soy formula are at the highest risk because of their small size and developmental phase

 Babies fed with soy formula often have the vital hormonal synthesis interrupted ---no doubt getting into hormone-related problems. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the level of isoflavones capable of disrupting the hormonal balance in adults is 6 to 11 times higher (on a bodyweight basis) in soy infant formula. Babies consuming soy milk formula were found to have isoflavone levels 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than biological estradiol levels in babies fed with cow's milk formula. Also 'The New Zealand Journal of Medicine' reported that, based on body weight, babies fed only on soy formula receive the same amount of estrogen as equal as to five birth control pills a day. The tragedy of soy infant formula can best be summed up in the words of a former toxicologist for the FDA, Dr.Daniel Sheehan, who called the practice a "large, uncontrolled and basically unmonitored human infant experiment."

 In infancy, in boys, the vital phenomenon "Testosterone surges" is important to ensure proper genital development and set neurological patterns of males. If this process is inhibited by excess estrogen in Soy, it can result in learning disabilities, behavioral problems, etc,. Further, physical problems such as undescended testicles, malformation of the penis where the urethra opening is on the underside are not rare to list. Early exposure to Soy has also been linked to low sperm count and low weight of reproductive organs in adulthood, thus inevitably causing infertility, thus setting roots to mushrooming of Infertility hospitals, benefitting the Corporates.

 Early Puberty:

 Girls as young as 6 have been getting early-onset of puberty. In recent years, it is not rare for a girl to reach menarche between ages 8 through 10. Soy has been strongly tied to early puberty not only in females but also males. Not only is the amount of Soy a young girl eats a contributing factor, but the Soy the mother consumes during pregnancy can also influence the puberty age. It is recommended that pregnant women ought to limit the intake of soy products, and soy-based formulas should never be used in infants.

 Since the time the soy formula has been in the marketplace, paediatricians have reported growing numbers of boys' physical maturation is either delayed or does not occur at all. Thus, it is strongly recommended, " Because of the estrogens in soy, men and boys, in particular, should eat little to no soy."

 Thyroid function is also disturbed by soy intake. This will very well explain the underdevelopment in children. The hormonal disturbances continue for few months even after stopped taking the soy supplements, according to scientific studies.

 In Young Adults of Child--Procreating Phase:

 In women of the childbearing period, Soy and related products mimic high estrogen levels, disturbing the functioning of the ovaries, thus disturbance in egg production, causing socially and emotionally traumatic infertility. The Swiss Health Service stated that 100g of isoflavones per day contain the same level of estrogen as a birth control pill. To add to this, they create wild fluctuations that take sometimes even to complete cessation of the menstrual cycle prematurely in childbearing age.

 In young men, The Harvard School of Public Health found that men who ate soy foods like miso soup, tofu, and soy ice cream had 41 million fewer sperm per milliliter than those who did not. Incredibly, the men who had the largest decrease in their sperm count (41 million) had a mean soy intake of only half a serving per day. That's the equivalent of just one cup of soy milk or one serving of tofu every other day.

Menopause:

 Taking isoflavone supplements from Soy increases estrogen levels, precipitating a precancerous condition in the uterus, ovaries and breasts. Lots of Soy based supplements are flooding the market in the guise of menopausal health since decades.

How Much is Safe:

 The studies conducted to date suggest that a diet containing lower levels of Soy, e.g. 1–2 servings of soy/day, as part of a well-balanced diet should not pose harmful effects on the function of the ovary as it relates to ovulation. These levels are similar to that found in a traditional Asian diet (10–25 mg/d isoflavones), and even up to 50 mg/d isoflavones has little impact on serum circulating levels of hormones involved in reproduction. But now-a-days Soy takes a major portion of our food, in frank as well as hidden forms such as protein supplements, fillers in sauces, sausages, jams, macroni, soups like Miso, tofu, hempe, milk shakes, chocolates, bread, body-care products, a few in the list.

The average isoflavone intake in China for adults is 3 milligrams, or 0.05 mg per kilogram of body weight. In Japan, the figures range from 10 to 28 mg, or 0.17 to 0.47 mg isoflavones per kg of body weight. In contrast, infants receiving soy formula average 38 mg of isoflavones, which comes to a shocking 6.25 mg/kg of body weight!

 Dr.Sadeghi says, " Without a doubt, the biggest phony health food that poses the greatest risk to our health is Soy. I share this important information because it will never appear in any major media. At the same time, Soy is an ingredient in almost all processed foods, which makes it difficult to avoid, and the fact that it's marketed to and consumed by women and children at a highly disproportionate rate makes it all the more important that this information is shared with someone you know." 

 Many researches on Genetic studies say that by adhering to the native food varieties such as vegetables, fruits and grains and the traditional meat of that particular region, mankind will avoid many health disasters, which are a global threat now. They say converting randomly either to vegetarianism, veganism, or non-vegetarianism will take to the worst health hazards.

 This is not of least importance that bringing Karapiru Awa Guaja, the last of the hunter-gatherer Awa tribe, to your memory. He is not the only one who lost his community; We very well know the world has lost hundreds of tribes, just because of the greedy corporates, who destroyed their livelihood by deforestation, destroying thousands of hectares of forest for Soy cultivation. We are in a situation to analyse the contents on our plates--- Is it the blood and flesh of humans and animals or what really?

 Hence, this is for the analysis of converting to veganism or vegetarianism in which Soy is the main ingredient in open and hidden forms on every plate of food.

- Dr.S.Jagatha, M.D. [Homoeo]


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