With the rise of plant-based diets, soy seems to be a pretty hot topic of conversation. I’ve been told many times that eating soy products can simultaneously harm the environment and our health, so I thought I would do the research to get my facts straight. Is soy really that bad?
There is a lot of controversy in the media surrounding soy, specifically if consuming it can lead to, or increase the severity of, health issues. This is often because it is believed that soy has high amounts of estrogen and may therefore have an effect on thyroid function and increase your chance of breast cancer.
Soy contains isoflavones, which is a type of plant estrogen that affects the body differently than the estrogen circling around in our hormone systems. Although plant estrogens are chemically similar and can mimic hormonal estrogen in the body, they are much weaker.
The complexity of soy thickens, though, when looking at pre-menopausal and post-menopausal people, because the levels of hormones in the body differ in these times. It’s really complex and complicated. Essentially, the presence of isoflavones in the body will have a different effect on you depending on your age. The compounds will either aid in reducing excess estrogen in the body, or supplement the body if it experiences low levels.
So, is it safe to eat? I think so. Most studies conclude that the majority of people can safely consume moderate amounts of whole soy products a few times a week. But I emphasize whole soy products, because it is suggested that whole soy products, like tofu or edamame, have different effects on the body compared to processed soy products, like soy isolate protein powders or fake-out meat alternatives – which could have adverse effects.
The CDC explains that consuming soy can have many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancers, osteoporosis, and severe menopausal symptoms. The FDA also agrees that consuming soy can have many health benefits, however, they are hesitant to suggest it can reduce the risk of heart disease.
However, even if soy isn’t directly linked to improving heart health, there is evidence that suggests the correlation between consuming red meat and decreased cardiovascular health. In fact, regularly consuming red meat is said to increase your risk for heart disease by three times, compared to those who consume white meat or plant-based proteins. So if you ask me, if you replace red meat with soy proteins, you are kind of neutralizing your risk for heart disease.
But although it is relatively safe for us to consume, there is more than one reason to produce soy, and this brings about some major environmental risks to consider. Not only is soy consumed by the human population, but the livestock industry uses 77 per cent of produced soy to feed meat and dairy animals. With the high demand for animal products, there is a lot of consumer pressure on the soy industry to produce large quantities of crops to sustain these farms. The irony is that the environmental damage caused by the soy industry isn’t a result of soy consumers; rather, it is directly linked to the meat and dairy industry.
In order to produce such large quantities, deforestation becomes a real environmental concern. Brazil is one of the largest global producers of soy and is home to a variety of diverse and endangered ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest. With the rising demand for soy, these ecosystems face the realities of deforestation at the consumer’s dime. In fact, the soy industry is said to be the second-largest cause of deforestation as a result of agricultural demand — the first being beef.
With all this said, I ask the question again: is soy really that bad? From a health perspective, I think that we have been fear mongered into thinking that soy is the enemy, but it really isn’t that problematic. Although a person’s individual health status, gut microbiome, and age all should be taken into account, there is evidence to suggest that soy could have health benefits – which is encouraging. However, from an environmental standpoint, I don’t think soy is sustainable at all.
With only seven per cent of soy produced being consumed by humans, the reality is that the mass amounts of soy produced isn’t even for us to eat. The deforestation linked to the industry is largely occurring because of livestock demands. So I don’t think that the soy industry is necessarily bad because people are eating it; instead, it’s unsustainable because of how dependent the meat and dairy industry is on soy for animal feed. Should we be ethically shamed for eating tofu? No. I just think that we need to reconsider where we point the finger.
Image: Brielle Quon / The Cascade
Sydney is a BA English major, creative writing student, who has been a content contributor for The Cascade and is now the Opinion editor. In 7th grade, she won $100 in a writing contest but hasn’t made an earning from writing since. In the meantime, she is hoping that her half-written novels will write themselves, be published, and help pay the bills.
