Soy protein

[anthrax]

[Disclaimer : I'd better post this thread here instead of the diet board, otherwise I'm afraid of being held and lynched LOL]

OK, so IMHO diversity is beneficial and when it comes to protein powder I think it's good to take something else than whey (CFM, ion-exchanged and other marketing stuff doesn't change much)

Casein being difficult to find and quite expensive (though it is a dairy sub-product that costs nothing), soy isolate should be considered

I know there have been numerous and contradictive studies about soy protein, genistein/phytoestrogens and testosterone

So, whar are the main proven benefits of soy protein ?

and what max % of your protein intake should it constitute ?

 

[MS]

Soy definitely lowers your risks of many cancers, especially breast, stomach and prostrate. It lowers estrogen effects in a two-pronged way. First it is a competitive inhibitor of the estrogen receptor in many tissues, and secondly it reduces aromatase activity. It preferentially pushes estrogen metabolism towards the "good" estrones, at least in postmenopausdal women. It is associated with reduced homocysteine levels, reduced blood pressure, reduced coronary heart disease. Soy isoflavones increase calcium absorption. Soy protein appears to actually be good for the kidneys, at least in people with kidney disease.

As a female I would put no limit on how much soy protein I consume and have used it as my main protein during numerous competition diets. IMHO soy protein gives me an edge when it comes to getting lean.

Despite the plethora of rat studies showing soy is bad for male rats, so far there have been no studies that have found this in human males. The best controlled intake study done yet on men suggests soy is much better for humans than male rats. Just make sure you are also getting plenty of iodine (not usually a problem with all that iodized salt around).

Effect of soymilk consumption on serum estrogen and androgen concentrations in Japanese men.

Nagata C, Takatsuka N, Shimizu H, Hayashi H, Akamatsu T, Murase K.

Department of Public Health, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.

Soy consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. The mechanism for this association may involve the effect of soy on the endocrine system. We conducted a randomized dietary intervention study to determine the effects of soy consumption on serum levels of steroid hormones in men. Thirty-five men were randomly assigned to either a soymilk-supplemented group or a control group. The men in the soy-supplemented group were asked to consume 400 ml of soymilk daily for 8 weeks. The men in the control group maintained their usual diet. Blood samples were obtained just before the initiation of the dietary period and thereafter every two weeks for 12 weeks. Changes in hormone concentrations were analyzed and compared between the two groups using the mixed linear regression model against weeks from the start of the dietary period. The mean (SD) soymilk intake estimated from dietary records during the dietary study period was 342.9 (SD, 74.2) ml in the soymilk-supplemented group. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of changes in serum estrone concentrations, which tended to decrease in the soy-supplemented group and increase in the control group over time. None of the other hormones measured (estradiol, total and free-testosterone, or sex hormone-binding globulin) showed any statistical difference between the two groups in terms of patterns of change. The results of the study indicate that soymilk consumption may modify circulating estrone concentrations in men.

 

[velvett]

Just make sure you don't have allergies to it.

 

[gjohnson5]

Just make sure you don't have allergies to it.

Working for a company that produces soy products , I am very certain soy allergy is rare despite writings on tmag and what not. We do taste testing on soy milk , sausage, hamburgers, pasta, and I've never heard of anyone reacting to it. McDonalds has a veggie burger called McVeggie that is soy...

In terms of bodybuilding, I only use soy protein isolate 90% or better. I have yet to see a soy protein on the market that is alcohol washed , meaning the isoflavones are removed. But the benifits of soy would also be removed if you did that.

1. Lower lipids
2. prevent bone loss
3. enhance immune function

 

[velvett]

Working for a company that produces soy products , I am very certain soy allergy is rare despite writings on tmag and what not. We do taste testing on soy milk , sausage, hamburgers, pasta, and I've never heard of anyone reacting to it. McDonalds has a veggie burger called McVeggie that is soy...

Speaking as one of those "rare cases" - I am extremely allergic soy, lecithin, hydrogenated vegetable oil, tofu, vegetable protein and broth and all other soy "aliases" out there. It took years for doctors figure out what was wrong with me. I'd be happy to send my test results to your company with photos of my eyes swollen shut.

I should also mention that I have other food allergies that were confirmed (scratch tests, blood test, muscle tests, food elimination and re-introduction) with the soy allergy. So while you may have never heard of it, you have now.

I have friends, at the time co-workers and my boyfriend watch the physical change in my face (puffy and swollen), skin rash and sometimes migraine that would come on within 24 hours of eating something with soy or a soy based product. (that's when I started to read every single label)

Soy is in nearly everything from can goods, bottled or bagged. It's in your condiments (ie: mayo), cereals, canned tuna, instant foods, chips, dips and even body cremes, body lotions and facial product including some make up.

LOL

My favorite is "Newman's Own" - Salad dressings that state they are Olive Oil & something else don't actually have olive oil - it's soybean oil.

Why? Because it's a cheap filler/binder - that is why you will find soy and soy based products in everything.

I'm not saying it's a bad product but if you think allegies don't exist you're kidding yourself, possible allergies exist for all foods.

 

[MS]

Well the usual caveats apply to any food recommendation. A food can only be good for you if you aren't allergic to it. And even if you aren't allergic to soy per se, there are a lot of "junk food" soy products out there that are not all that good for you because of other additives and processing methods. The majority of people don't have problems with soy allergies.

For better or worse, soy is in almost everything these days, although it is often present as a highly processed crap filler IMHO.

I also stick to high quality soy protein isolate. Whole soy beans and tofu are pretty high in fat for my tastes.

 

[gjohnson5]

Speaking as one of those "rare cases" - I am extremely allergic soy, lecithin, hydrogenated vegetable oil, tofu, vegetable protein and broth and all other soy "aliases" out there. It took years for doctors figure out what was wrong with me. I'd be happy to send my test results to your company with photos of my eyes swollen shut.

I should also mention that I have other food allergies that were confirmed (scratch tests, blood test, muscle tests, food elimination and re-introduction) with the soy allergy. So while you may have never heard of it, you have now.

I have friends, at the time co-workers and my boyfriend watch the physical change in my face (puffy and swollen), skin rash and sometimes migraine that would come on within 24 hours of eating something with soy or a soy based product. (that's when I started to read every single label)

Soy is in nearly everything from can goods, bottled or bagged. It's in your condiments (ie: mayo), cereals, canned tuna, instant foods, chips, dips and even body cremes, body lotions and facial product including some make up.

My apologies!!! I didn't say I didn't believe you....
Lecithin gets you as well?? The thing about lecithin is that it created from fermentation. So soy is put in a fermenter and the protein is separated from remainder of the soy. I believe it's water hydrolysis. but anyway, Soy sauce , Lecithin, or soybean oil don't have the protein which is almost always the allergen. You are extremely allergic to soy if this is the case. I would have to agree that soy is in many foods, even softgels vitamins are encased in soybean oil. The food applications of soy are tremendous so staying away from it can be a chore. Even protein powders contain lecithin , but that doesn't have to be soya lecithin.

 

[gjohnson5]

Speaking as one of those "rare cases" - I am extremely allergic soy, lecithin, hydrogenated vegetable oil, tofu, vegetable protein and broth and all other soy "aliases" out there.

Just out of curiosity , have you tried immunotherapy for your food allergies instead of avoiding them. I'm into my third month and I am seeing benifits from doing it.

 

[anthrax]

I have access to soy isolate in bulk (Health store)

No brand, no label
It is supposed to be @ 90% but I have to trust them
Tastes good, decent price

There is also soy protein from the well known supplement companies
But their proteins are 3 times more expensive than whey, thanks to some nice packaging and some crappy marketing hype

I would bet it is basically the same stuff inside though ...

What do you think ?

 

[gjohnson5]

I have access to soy isolate in bulk (Health store)

No brand, no label
It is supposed to be @ 90% but I have to trust them
Tastes good, decent price

There is also soy protein from the well known supplement companies
But their proteins are 3 times more expensive than whey, thanks to some nice packaging and some crappy marketing hype

I would bet it is basically the same stuff inside though ...

What do you think ?

I use now foods http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail&item_id=3387 because they are a company here in Illinois (bloomingdale, which is a Chicago suburb) They use non genetically engineer soy protein isolate 90%. And as you can see it's cheap