Soy isoflavones side effects
Soy was once rarely heard of in the United States and the rest of the Western world. These days however, there are over 72 million acres of soy planted in the US every year. Where in the past this nutritious crop made it difficult for farmers to produce profitable yields, technology has made it easy to produce a variety of soy products from nearly every portion of the plant. This has led to an increase in production and an increase in the amount of products that can be produced from the soybean and its plant.
By now, you’ve probably seen soy products everywhere in your grocery or health food store. You’ll find it as a common meat replacement in vegetarian turkey, hamburger, chicken, and fish. It is used to create Tofu, soy milk, and soy protein powders. Soy is becoming so popular that there are nearly as many soy products as there are dairy products.
Health experts have said that soy can reduce risk for many diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. Switching to soy products from meat products is said to help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. So why then are some researchers and medical experts claiming that soy isn’t everything that it is cracked up to be?
To answer that question, we’ll first need to explain the chemical compounds that soy is derived from and how they possibly be both beneficial and harmful. The key ingredients are soy isoflavones, which are an estrogen like chemical and as such create estrogen like side effects.
Although isoflavones are thought to be healthy, when they are taken in high doses, via food or dietary supplements, they can cause the hormone levels in the body to become unbalanced. In men, this can cause reduced testosterone, reduced sex drive, and fatigue. In women, the soy isoflavone side effects are more pronounced, as they can cause mood swings, hot flashes, and weight gain.
This is of particular concern for pregnant women, as having too much estrogen inside of the body can impair the development of the infant and cause difficulty with lactation. Also, the soy might cause an increased amount of estrogen inside the breast milk, which can have an effect on hormonal activity in your newborn. Soy isoflavones can also cause reduced function in the thyroid gland, which can cause even more problems with the hormonal balance inside of the body, as well as the way your body metabolizes food and creates energy.
Another soy isoflavone side effect is an indirect one, but often happen to vegetarians that use soy to replace meat products in their diet. Since soy products have a completely different molecular makeup than meat proteins do, there are some minerals that will not be present in a diet high in soy. As a result, vegetarians and vegans might have to make other modifications to their diet and/or supplement with a vitamin or mineral supplement.
Overall however, there are very few soy isoflavone side effects that you should worry about. The benefits far outweigh the negative reactions and side effects are very uncommon. Unless your doctor has told you not to take them or you are getting medical treatment for another condition, you should not worry about taking soy supplements or adding more soy to your diet.
As with any dietary change, you might experience slight gastrointestinal discomfort, such as loose stool, when taking soy isoflavones or soy isoflavone supplements. These side effects should not last long, but if they do then you might consider reducing the amount you take or asking your doctor to examine your symptoms.
