Weight Loss

So my friend's nutritionist said to not drink soy milk because it has estrogen in it and estrogen basically latches onto body fat, thus affecting weight loss. I've read on some other forums about how if you eat a lot of soy stuff it can have some negative effects. But is this really true?? Has anyone heard this?

I really like soy milk, just started drinking it a week ago, and I think I'm going to make the switch permanently but I'm not so sure now.

Thoughts?

Soy does have a lot of estrogen, but unless you are consuming a lot of soy products simply having soy milk won't be enough to make a difference. There are a lot of alternatives as well if you regularly have other soy products - almond milk is my favorite, and rice milk is good too.

You will find a lot of mixed information about soy.  Yes, it contains phytoestrogens.  What does that mean?  Nobody seems to know for sure.  Some studies seem to show that it has beneficial health effects, others not so much.  I have never heard of this "hanging onto fat" theory before and I'm a little skeptical of it ... I have drank soy milk exclusively for a couple of years now and can definitely lose fat when I eat right and exercise.

Like anything else, use soy moderately.  A glass a day is unlikely to hurt you. 

The amount of phytoestrogens in a single glass of soy milk, or even two glasses, is probably not going to cause a problem.

"Soybeans contain a complex mix of phytochemicals, including isoflavones. Some of these may act as estrogens or as anti-estrogens (the latter may block the effects of estrogens in the human body). Soy isoflavones may also act as antioxidants and have other beneficial effects on blood vessels and the heart. There's still a lot to learn about soy."

See this link for more information.

I used to drink a ton of soy milk (lattes every morning).  I did it for about a year until I read an article on the dangers of Soy...then i did a ton of research.  I will now not drink it.  Just Google "Dangers of Soy" to read up on it.  I am now drinking almond milk which is really good and tastes better too.

Sarah G.

It's like anything else.  It's good for you in moderation.  The moderation part being rather critical.

no, i just had a lot of tofu!

My 1 or 2 glasses a day haven't hurt me yet. :)

Also, in the NICU where I work, we use soy-based formulas for most of the babies.  I can't imagine all the doctors and nurses that decide what to feed them deciding as such if soy was harmful.  From what I've seen, it hasn't affected their fragile little bodies one bit, so I think most older people are alright, too.

LOL...switch to Almond Milk instead....yummmmmm! Only 40 calories per cup ;). 

My DS is allergic to cows milk....so soy it is for him.  He still seems pretty manly (at 20 months). :)

But aren't dairy cows given hormones, too? I thought the big risk of estrogen was from dairy, frankly!

Estrogen is everywhere.  It comes in different forms -some are natural and some are not.

Diary cows produce their own hormones (including estrogen).  When it comes to most anything "given" to a diary cow, there is a withdraw period when the substance is removed/not given to allow for it to leave the cows' systems before milk can be put into the general circulation.  One particular form of estrogen that used to be given to cows was found to be dangerous to people and is no longer being used (banned, I believe).  (Just as a side...I don't think there is a "risk of estrogen" from dairy.)

As for soy - a friend of mine is estrogen dominant and has endometriosis.  Her dr recommended to her that she avoid taking in "extra" estrogen which included restricting her soy intake.  Adjusting her diet has helped her from a medical perspective.  I don't know about from a weight loss point of view.