Are soy foods safe? | Mark Messina, PhD

Episode #258. Join me as I sit down with renowned soy expert Dr Mark Messina to clear up misconceptions and address concerns about soy consumption. We dive deep into isoflavones, how much soy you can safely consume, and soy’s safety in relation to male feminisation, breast cancer, and thyroid function.
If you’ve been hesitant about incorporating soy into your diet, this episode is packed with essential information you need to make an informed choice.

Specifically, we discuss:

Intro (00:00)

Soy throughout history (01:45)

Dr. Mark Messina and the Soy Nutrition Institute (6:12)

Industry affiliation in research (8:04)

Debate surrounding soy and breast cancer (18:04)

Isoflavones and estrogen (24:04)

Isoflavones, breast tissue and cholesterol (32:12)

Oversimplification of health information about the soy (40:39)

Fermented soy and equol (48:11)

How much isoflavones are in your soy foods? (53:16)

Safe upper limit of soy isoflavones intake per day (58:50)

Are blood tests necessary for high protein eaters? (1:01:37)

Soy formula and soy allergy (1:03:50)

Soy and thyroid Health (1:11:15)

Does soy affect menstrual cycle length? (1:16:12)

Soy consumption and migraines (1:22:54)

Isoflavonoid supplements (1:27:10)

Soy farming and the environment (1:29:10)

Outro (1:33:12)


To stay up to date with Dr Mark Messina’s work, head to https://sniglobal.org/. Here you’ll find extensive research on the health and safety of soy, as well as regular articles written by Dr Messina. You can also read some of Dr Messina’s recent, relevant articles in the full show notes.
Enjoy, friends.
Simon

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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)
Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill
Author of The Proof is in the Plants
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