By James Spounias —
Roman statesman Cicero is noted for the popularization of the Latin phrase “cui bono,” which means “to whose profit” also known commonly as “who benefits.” Cicero used cui bono to alert Romans to dig for the actual beneficiaries of political skullduggery. In 2016, we ask, cui bono, when we consider the business of agriculture, particularly why soy foods are ubiquitous even though they are less than ideal when it comes to health and nutrition.
Tom Valentine, former health editor of The Spotlight and AMERICAN FREE PRESS and host of Radio Free America, published a series of articles warning of the dangers of soy foods in the early 1990s. Valentine’s articles, which have been picked up by many well-known health bloggers and health-minded advocates worldwide, connected the dots of corrupt science and business practice.
There was a time health food labels stated “no soy” because it was a known allergen. But all that changed, and now soy has become a fixture in every health food store, notably, billion-dollar giant Whole Foods Markets.
Beatrice Trum Hunter, one of America’s foremost food experts and food editor of Consumers Research Magazine, quoted Valentine’s well-made point that “no other dietary staple has so many anti-nutrient drawbacks as soy. Conversely, no other food has so many public relations firms and lobbyists working for it.”
Soy is known for its anti-nutrient properties because of its high phytic acid (phytates) content and anti-trypsin activity. Phytates bind minerals, notably calcium, magnesium, and zinc, making them unabsorbable. Trypsin is an enzyme used to digest proteins. Blocking trypsin, for instance, creates a deficiency of vitamin B12, which is vital for many functions. Phytates in soy don’t break down from normal cooking as easily as with other legumes and grains.
Fermentation of soy reduces the phytic acid mineral-binding and trypsin-inhibiting properties of soy. Fermented soy foods such as tempeh and condiments such as miso do not pose health risks and can be beneficial additions to the diet. Natto, a fermented soy cheese, has key constituents such as the enzyme nattokinase and vitamin K2, which confer health benefits from reducing excess fibrin and metabolizing calcium.
If you don’t think you get much soy in your diet, think again. Finding products that don’t have soy oil or soy extenders—which became famous when they were found in hamburger, of all things—is not an easy task.
Plus, the main use of soy is animal feed. You are likely eating soy when you drink milk or eat chicken, eggs, meat, or pork—and yes, some fish, since farm-fed fish are also given soy feed. Roughly 61% of all vegetable oil consumed in America is from soy.
Soy doesn’t just bind minerals and inhibit the digestion of proteins; it is a known estrogen mimicker. A May 19, 2009 Men’s Health story reported how James Price, a retired U.S. Army intelligence officer, who once flew attack helicopters in Vietnam, developed painful, swollen, large breasts.
Emigrate While You Still Can! Learn More . . .
“It was like my body was feminizing,” Price told Men’s Health. After discovering his estrogen levels were eight times the normal limits for men, doctors were perplexed. One became so irritated he accused Price of secretly taking estrogen. Price angrily recalled, “He thought I was a mental case.”
Price eventually found Lieutenant Colonel Jack E. Lewi, M.D., chief of endocrinology at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, who, after ruling out possible diseases that may have caused male breast enlargement, asked Price about his diet. Price told Lewi he had three quarts of soy milk a day, after developing an allergy to cow’s milk. Lewi told Price to drop the soy—and Price did, eliminating everything he could find that listed soy on the labels. Price’s physiological and psychological sense of “manliness” returned to normal, and Lewi published Price’s case history to warn others.
While Price’s case is extreme, the estrogenic effects of soy are known.
Valentine spoke with Drs. Daniel M. Sheehan and Dan Doerge, both affiliated with the Food and Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research, in the 1990s, who courageously wrote against Archer Daniel Midland’s petition to have soy isoflavones considered GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe).
Sheehan and Doerge’s 1999 letter was well supported with persuasive scientific references.
“We oppose GRAS status for isoflavones such as genistein because there is abundant evidence that some of the isoflavones . . . are toxicants,” they wrote. “This is true for a number of species, including humans. . . . Genistein is clearly estrogenic: it possesses the chemical structural features necessary for estrogenic activity and induces estrogenic responses in developing adult animals and humans . . . thus consumption of isoflavones during pregnancy in humans could be a risk factor for normal brain and reproductive tract development.”
Price learned the hard way.
Sheehan and Doerge also wrote that “isoflavones are inhibitors of the thyroid peroxidase, which makes T3 and T4. Inhibition can be expected to generate thyroid abnormalities, including goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis. There exists a significant body of animal data that demonstrates goitrogenic and even carcinogenic effects of soy products. Moreover, there are significant reports of goitrogenic affects from soy consumption in human infants and adults.”
If that isn’t bad enough, the use of glyphosates and genetically modified organisms make soy even worse, because, as AFP readers know, glyphosates and franken-tinkering carry their own set of health hazards. More than 90% of all soy is GMO.
Sadly, soy was sold to the public with religious fervor and, as is the same with many other “accepted” positions, is still in need of revisionism. Soy is used in infant formulas and is linked to numerous health problems, such as vascular dementia and cancer.
When Valentine exposed the problem years ago, he received much praise but plenty of flak from angry farmers to hapless men whose wives made them cancel subscription to his health newsletters, which exposed many environmental assaults against health.
Today we should ask if the increased “feminization” of Western men has something to do with what’s in our food. Is it a coincidence that the corporate owned media fervently promotes gender confusion at the same time a known endocrine disruptor is part of the daily diet?
James Spounias is the president of Carotec Inc., originally founded by renowned radio show host and alternative health expert Tom Valentine and his wife, Carole. To receive a free issue of Carotec Health Report—a monthly newsletter loaded with well-researched and reliable alternative health information—please write Carotec, P.O. Box 9919, Naples, FL 34101 or call 1-800-522-4279. Also included will be a list of the high-quality health supplements Carotec recommends.
