Soy Products & Tofu Health Issues

Image via WikipediaI have come across an article about tofu as being the cause of a lady's health woes, and digging in deeper, it was found that she over-consumed the food, which is thought as a health food in the first place.

Is this article on the same storyline?
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Overview

Soybeans, a mainstay of the Asian diet for centuries, have become increasingly popular in the West as a low-fat source of protein and oil. Soybeans can be used to make many healthy, inexpensive and versatile food products, including tofu, miso and soymilk. Soy products provide "complete protein," meaning they contain all the amino acids essential to human nutrition. Despite the high nutritional value of soy, scientists cannot rule out the possibility of side effects of consuming soy products. Therefore, you should not take soy products without first talking to your doctor.

Breast Cancer Risk

Scientists are not sure if breast cancer risk is influenced by consuming phytoestrogens from soy products. Some animal studies with human breast cancer cells have found that soy phytoestrogens may act as estrogens in the human body and possibly raise the risk of breast cancer, according to Barbour S. Warren and Carol Devine, Ph.D., R.D., of the Sprecher Institute at Cornell University. Long, uninterrupted exposure to estrogen is an established risk factor for breast cancer. Estrogen facilitates the growth of milk ducts in the breast, where most breast cancers arise. Soy phytoestrogens, specifically isoflavones, are similar to human estrogen in structure. This allows them to bind to the same chemical receptors as endogenous estrogen and mimic its action. Women should consume soy products with care because they may increase estrogenic activity in the body.

Thyroid Disease

Soy isoflavones are potent inhibitors of the enzymes thyroid peroxidase and 5'-deiodinase, which are responsible for the oxidation and organification of iodide to iodine. Iodine is a trace element essential for the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. Inhibition of these enzymes by soy isoflavones lowers circulating thyroid hormones, which results in an increased serum TSH. TSH is the thyroid-stimulating hormone that potentiates the pathogenesis of goiter, the enlargement of the thyroid gland. The effects of soy isoflavones on the thyroid function are more pronounced when you consume an iodine-insufficient diet for a long time. Adding iodine to the diet, however, offsets this effect.

Soy Allergy

Food allergies are immunologically based abnormal responses to a particular food or food component. Symptoms of soy allergy can range in severity from harmless skin reactions to gastrointestinal disturbances to respiratory distress to cardiovascular problems. Researchers have identified at least 15 soy proteins that are responsible for allergic reactions; however, the mechanism of action has remained unclear. The protein 2S globulin has been recognized as the most powerful one. Soy allergy is more common in children than adults. If you have allergies to soy, you should avoid all soy products such as tofu, miso, soymilk, soy flour, soy yogurt and tempeh.

Gout

Soybeans are also rich in purines, natural substances found in all body tissues and in some foods. Consuming large amounts of soy products, including tofu, can raise your uric acid level and make the gout worse. Uric acid, a purine degradation product, deposits in joint spaces as small crystals and causes intense pain, swelling and inflammation.

Taken from livestrong.com; source article is below:
Health Issues Related to Soy Products & Tofu

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Would You Rather Have Your Food Baked Or Grilled?

While the very reason of us cooking our own food is to make sure that we eat 'clean and healthy' dishes, are we also aware that sometimes we are simply 'adding in' those harmful byproducts through the way we cook?
Here is an Ezine article original, a good read, and whose benefits of knowing will make us be more careful in our food preparation.
Read on...

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With the various types of cancers, people fear the possibility of consuming carcinogenic substances through the foods that they eat. According to studies, carcinogens are found in foods that are baked and grilled. Although before, people thought that baking is safe and doesn't contain any carcinogenic substances, new studies have found out that baking goods can promote the formation of a harmful substance called acrylamide. This harmful substance can cause cancer.

Apparently, the main reason why baking and grilled foods can cause formation of carcinogenic substances is because of the exposure of foods to too much heat.

The carcinogens in baked foods are called acrylamide. Acrylamide is usually formed when baking starchy foods such as rice, corn, and potatoes. This carcinogenic substance can actually cause mutations of the cells inside your body which can lead to cancer. If this substance would accumulate inside your body for a long time, it will develop cancers such as rectal cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and other forms of cancer.

On the other hand, the carcinogens that are present in grilled foods are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or also known as PCA's, benz pyrenes, and heterocyclic amines or HCA's. The benz pyrenes are those that are found in the charred portions when you are grilling meat while on the other hand, nitrosamines are those that are formed when foods that contain nitrates are grilled. One example of a commonly grilled food with nitrate would be hotdogs. When the carcinogenic chemicals accumulate in the body, it can cause cancer in the future.

If you can't avoid to bake or to grill food, there are ways on how to prevent the formation of these carcinogens and enjoy the goodness of these delicious foods.

When baking, it is best to limit the baking time since longer baking times can actually cause the formation of the acrylamide. On the other hand, if you prefer grilled, you can always choose lean meat or fruits and vegetables since this can be grilled immediately; thus, the length of grilling time is shorter.

If you want to stay healthy, it is best to have a regular exercise and avoid foods that are not healthy. You can try out various exercises at home through the convenient use of a Swiss ball.

Personal Trainer and fitness expert Josh Panebianco is the owner of http://personaltrainerssydney.com.au/.

Article Directory: EzineArticles

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