Among health food pundits, soy has been a bean bag for some time now, being tossed first in the positive column then in the negative. Just now, it feels like soy is getting the hairy eye-brow from pundits and staying largely in the negative column, despite some recent research that would seem to suggest that using soy helps dieters lose weight.
But, maybe soy deserves the hairy eyebrow, or maybe the research does, as not all research is created equal, or is equally unbiased. Sometimes a study can be designed in a manner that tilts the findings in the preferred direction of the researchers. This is especially likely to be true if the research comes not just from scientists interested in adding to human knowledge, but instead hails from labs that are part of corporations with money to be made from the ‘right’ findings.
A Colorado University study culled data from studying an array of overweight individuals and decided based on the data that soy protein was as effective as other proteins for the purpose of a healthy weight-loss diet.
Basically, some of the study participants had soy and some did not and the overall weight loss and body mass loss was deemed to be similar for both groups.
What the study did not delineate was that while the overall pounds lost may have been similar, soy’s effect on the body can vary considerably. This is particularly the case, as soy products are so variable and consumers can have their soy as a powder, a whole food, or a fermented food.
Whereas Asian consumers use fresh variants, Americans often consume frozen and powdered ones, missing beneficial microbes. Studies continue to be inconclusive, with some promoting soy as a way to fight cancer, others showing a potential link between cancer and soy consumption. The bean bag is tossed and the war rages.
Key Takeaways:
- Beware of research that is skewed due to the study’s design, or where the researchers have other motives.
- One questionable study was conducted by the DuPont corporation, which is now in the soy business.
- In Asia, soy is consumed in a traditional, fermented form while Americans are more likely to consume processed soy.
“Soy has been all the craze for years, and although it does offer some unique benefits, especially when fermented, soy is often anything but a “health” food.”
Read more: https://www.thealternativedaily.com/new-study-soy-supports-significant-weight-loss/
Leave a Reply