Nutrition
Soy controversy —
References & further reading
References
1 Pollan, M. 2006. The Omnivore’s Dilemma, 248. NY: Penguin Books.
2 Weston A. Price Foundation. [No date listed.] Weston A. Price Foundation. About the foundation. URL: http://westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm (accessed 04.02.2008).
3 Weston A. Price Foundation. [No date listed.] WAPF Funding. URL: http://westonaprice.org/funding.html (accessed 04.02.2008)
4 Weston A. Price Foundation. [No date listed.] Soy alert! URL: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html (accessed 04.02.2008).
5 Weston A. Price Foundation. [No date listed.] Myths and truths about soy. URL: http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtsoy.html (accessed 04.02.2008).
6 [No author listed.] 2006. The raw story | Columnist claims soy products reduce penis size, make men gay. URL: http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Columnist_claims_soy_products_reduce_penis_1212.html (accessed 04.02.2008).
7 MacArthur, J. 2000. April May 2003. Tofu shrinks brain. URL: http://www.thehealingjournal.com/prev_issues/octl_nov06_tofu.htm (accessed 04.02.2008).
8 Rutz, J. 2006. The big picture. Soy is making kids ‘gay.’ URL: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53327 (accessed 04.02.2008).
9 Weston A. Price Foundation. [No date listed.] Studies showing adverse effects of dietary soy, 1971–2003. The Weston A. Price Foundation website tour. URL (accessed via: Soy. 7a. Soy studies.): http://www.westonaprice.org/tour/index.html (accessed 04.02.2008).
10 Herman–Giddens, M., et al. 1997. Secondary sexual characteristics and menses in young girls seen in office practice: A study from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings network. Pediatrics, 99, (4), 505–512. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pubmed/9093289 (accessed 04.02.2008).
11 Strom, B., et al. 2001. Exposure to soy-based formula in infancy and endocrinological and reproductive outcomes in young adulthood. JAMA, 286, (7), 807–814. URL (abstract): http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/286/7/807 (accessed 04.04.2008).
12 Wikipedia.org. 2008. Phytoestrogen. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen (accessed 04.04.2008).
13 Verheus, M. 2007. Plasma phytoestrogens and subsequent breast cancer risk. J. Clin. Onc., 25 (6). URL (abstract): http://www.jco.org/cgi/doi/10.1200/JCO.2006.06.0244 (accessed 01.02.2007).
Salakka, A., et al. 2006. Multiple hydride reduction pathways in isoflavonoids. Beilstein J. Org. Chem., 2, (16). URL (full text): http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16934147 (accessed 04.02.2008).
14 Collins, J. Winter, 2006. Phytotherapeutic management of endocrine dysfunctions. NutriNews, pp. 1–4, 6–8. URL: http://www.douglaslabs.com/pdf/nutrinews%5CEndocrine%20Dysfunctions.pdf (accessed 04.03.2008).
15 Vafeiadou, K, et al. 2006. Does genotype and equol-production status affect response to isoflavones? Data from a pan-European study on the effects of isoflavones on cardiovascular risk markers in post-menopausal women. Proc. Nutr. Soc., 65 (1), 106–115. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16441950 (accessed 04.04.2008).
Hall, W., et al. 2005. Soy-isoflavone-enriched foods and inflammatory biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in postmenopausal women: Interactions with genotype and equol production. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 82 (6), 1260–1268. URL (full text): http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/82/6/1260 (accessed 04.04.2008).
de Kleijn, M., et al. 2002. Dietary intake of phytoestrogens is associated with a favorable metabolic cardiovascular risk profile in postmenopausal US Women: The Framingham Study. J. Nutr., 132 (2), 276–282. URL (full text): http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/132/2/276 (accessed 12.10.2007).
16 Cornwell, T., et al. 2004. Dietary phytoestrogens and health. Phytochemistry, 65, (8), 995–1016. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15110680 (accessed 04.02.2008).
Cos, P., et al. 2003. Phytoestrogens: Recent developments. Planta Med., 69 (7), 589–599. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12898412 (accessed 04.02.2008).
Yildiz, F., Ed. 2005. Phytoestrogens in Functional Foods, 3–5, 210–211. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
17 Balk, E., et al. 2005. Effects of soy on health outcomes. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 126. (Prepared by Tufts–New England Medical Center Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-02-0022.) AHRQ Publication No. 05-E024-2. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. URL (full text PDF): http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/soyeffects/soy.pdf (accessed 03.10.2008).
[This 245-page report was requested and funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health.]
Conclusions: The evidence from human studies does not suggest any worrisome adverse events beyond mild gastrointestinal intolerance….
18 Pop, E., et al. 2008. Effects of a high daily dose of soy isoflavones on DNA damage, apoptosis, and estrogenic outcomes in healthy postmenopausal women: A phase I clinical trial. Menopause, April 28. [Epub ahead of print] URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18446090 (accessed 07.25.2008).
Drews, K., et al. 2007. [Efficacy of standardized isoflavones extract (Soyfem) (52–104 mg/24h) in moderate and medium-severe climacteric syndrome.] Ginekol. Pol., 78 (4), 307–311. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pubmed/17621994 (accessed 03.12.2008).
D’Anna, R., et al. 2007. Effects of the phytoestrogen genistein on hot flushes, endometrium, and vaginal epithelium in postmenopausal women: a 1-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Menopause, 14 (4), 648–655. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pubmed/17251874 (accessed 03.12.2008).
Cheng, G., et al. 2007. Isoflavone treatment for acute menopause symptoms. Menopause, 13 (3 Pt. 1), 468–473. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pubmed/17290160 (accessed 03.12.2008) .
19 Nahas, E., et al. 2007. Efficacy and safety of a soy isoflavone extract in postmenopausal women: A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Maturitas, 58 (3), 249–258. URL (abstract):http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17913408 (accessed 03.10.2008).
Upmalis, D., et al. 2000. Vasomotor symptoms relief by soy isoflavone extract tablets in postmenopausal women: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Menopause, 7 (4), 236–242. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10914616 (accessed 04.03.2008).
20 Munro, I, et al. 2003. Soy isoflavones: A safety review. Nutr. Rev., 61, 1–33. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12638461 (accessed 04.02.2008).
21 Messina, M. 12.19.2007. Telephone communication.
See also:
Colacurci, N., et al. 2004. Effects of soy isoflavones on menopausal neurovegetative symptoms. Minerva Ginecol., 56 (5), 407–412. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15531858 (accessed 04.04.2008).
Crisafulli, A., et al. 2004. Effects of genistein on hot flushes in early postmenopausal women: A randomized, double-blind EPT- and placebo-controlled study. Menopause, 11 (4), 400–404. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15243277 (accessed 04.04.2008).
Han, K., et al. 2002. Benefits of soy isoflavone therapeutic regimen on menopausal symptoms. Obstet. Gynecol., 99 (3), 389–394. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11864664 (accessed 04.25.2008).
Scambia, G., et al. 2000. Clinical effects of a standardized soy extract in postmenopausal women: A pilot study. Menopause, 7 (2), 105–111. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10746892 (accessed 04.25.2008).
Upmalis, D., et al. 2000. Vasomotor symptom relief by soy isoflavone extract tablets in postmenopausal women: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Menopause, 7 (4), 236–242. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10914616 (accessed 04.25.2008).
22 Messina, M., et al. 2006. Addressing the soy and breast cancer relationship: Review, commentary, and workshop proceedings. JNCI, 98 (18), 1275–1284. URL (full text): http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/98/18/1275 (accessed 03.10.2008).
23 Bolca, S., et al. 2007. Microbial and dietary factors are associated with the equol producer phenotype in healthy postmenopausal women. J. Nutr. 137 (10), 2242–2246.URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17885005 (accessed 03.18.2008).
24 Wu, A., et al. 2008. Epidemiology of soy exposure and breast cancer risk. BJC, 98 (1), 9–14. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18182974 (accessed 01.10.2008).
25 Nobert, G., et al. 2006. Estrogen dependent growth inhibitory effects of tamoxifen but not genistein in solid tumors derived from estrogen receptor positive (ER+) primary breast carcinoma MCF7: Single agent and novel combined treatment approaches. URL (full text): http://www.john-libbey-eurotext.fr/en/revues/medecine/bdc/e-docs/00/04/1C/DE/article.md?type=text.html (accessed 04.03.2008).
26 Wu, A., et al. 2007. Tamoxifen, soy and lifestyle factors in Asian American women with breast cancer. J. Clin. Onc., 25, (21), 3024–3030. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536081 (accessed 04.04.2008).
27 Setchell, K. 2001. Soy isoflavones — benefits and risks from nature’s selective estrogen receptor modulators. J. Am. Coll. Nutr., 20 (90005), 354S-362S. URL (full text): http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/20/suppl_5/354S (accessed 04.04.2008).
28 ClinicalTrials.gov. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=breast+cancer+soy (accessed 04.04.2008).
29 Bruce, B., et al. 2003. Isoflavone supplements do not affect thyroid function in iodine-replete postmenopausal women. J. Med. Food, 6 (4), 309–316. URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14977438 (accessed 03.14.2008).
Messina, M., & Redmond, G. 2006. Effects of soy protein and soybean isoflavones on thyroid function in healthy adults and hypothyroid patients: A review of the relevant literature. Thyroid, 15 (3), 249–258. URL (abstract): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16571087 (accessed 04.23.2008).
30 Messina, M. [No date listed.] Soy and health: Soy, isoflavones, and thyroid function. URL (PDF): http://www.soyconnection.com/health_nutrition/pdf/SoyandThyroid.pdf (accessed 03.14.2008).
31 Wood, R. 2007. Soy — toxin or tonic? URL: http://www.rwood.com/Articles/Soy_Toxin_or_Tonic.htm (accessed 04.04.2008).
Further Reading
Messina, M., & V. Messina. 1994. The Simple Soybean and Your Health. Wayne, NJ: Avery Publishing Group.
Cancer Nutrition Info’s site has a good list of references. URL: http://www.cancernutritioninfo.com
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Update on the soy controversy
Original Publication Date: 04/25/2008
Last Modified: 02/16/2010
Principal Author: Marcella Sweet