Hey guys, Dr. Axe here, Nutritionist and Doctor of Functional Medicine.
A common question I get is, "Is soy bad for you or is soy good for you?"
And the answer is, the majority of the time soy is bad for you but sometimes it can be
good for you.
It depends on the form you're buying it in.
And in this video, I'm going to lay to rest and kind of show you exactly if soy is good
or if it's bad and really also go over the benefits and the side effects of consuming
the right and the wrong type of soy.
So my first answer here is, "Is soy good for you or is soy bad for you?"
And the answer is yes, 95% of the soy out there today that people consume is bad for
you.
Now soy was popularized because we found in Okinawa, Japan, they consumed a lot of soy.
The problem is, it was a different type of soy than we consume today.
And the issue with soy is most soy today contains something call phytoestrogens.
And these phytoestrogens are estrogen mimickers in the body.
And so, if you're male consuming extra estrogen, it's going to give you more feminine characteristics.
If you're a woman consuming foods that increase estrogen, it's going to increase your risk
of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and other hormone imbalance related disorders.
And so, that's the main issue with most soy products today is when you're consuming a
general process soy, that's a big issue.
And let me tell you this other thing, too.
This is a big deal, 90% of soy today is also genetically modified, and genetically modified
foods kill off good bacteria in your gut known as probiotics and also damage your digestive
system.
So most soy today, because of the phytoestrogens, because they're genetically modified, they
are terrible for your health.
And that includes soy protein.
That includes soymilk.
That includes almost any type of soy out there today aside from something like a soy lecithin.
But again, most soy today is an issue because of phytoestrogens and the GMO foods.
And it will increase women's risk of PCOS, that's polycystic ovary syndrome.
It'll increase the risk of other hormone related disorders, cervical cancer, breast cancer.
Those, women, you want to stay away from any type of conventional soy product that is genetically
modified altogether.
And men as well, because it will cause more feminine characteristics.
Now on the flip side, soy can be good for you if it's an organic, fermented soy.
And organic means, it's not GMO.
There's no chemicals or fertilizers or pesticides.
And then fermented means, it's similar like turning a milk into yogurt or cabbage into
sauerkraut.
Fermenting it actually increases its probiotics.
And Natto which is the type of soy they consume in Okinawa Japan where people have lived to
well over 100 all the time.
That's the type of soy they're consuming on a regular basis.
And so it is loaded with probiotics.
It's non-GMO and it also is very high in a vitamin called vitamin K2.
And vitamin K2 is even more beneficial in therapeutic benefits than vitamin K1, which
is found in things like spinach and kale.
But vitamin K2 has been shown to help build strong bones.
It supports brain health.
It supports naturally healing your body.
So again, if it's an organic fermented soy product, it actually is terrific for your
health.
But let me throw this out there again.
I said 95% earlier, the case in point is that it's probably 99% of the soy products we're
consuming today are conventional.
They're GMO.
They're toxic to your system.
For that reason, soy is bad for you.
But if you're looking to improve your heart health, your bone health and increase your
life span, consuming Natto, also known as vitamin K2, on a regular basis or getting
those nutrients from Natto can actually be terrific for your health.
So again, if you want to reap the benefits of soy, go and find a fermented soy product
like Natto or search for a supplement that's vitamin K2, also known as MK7, can actually
be very, very beneficial for your health.
And listen, rather than soy, there's a lot of good products.
I recommend, chia seeds are a high plant based source of protein with good omega-3 fats.
So again, years and years ago soy used to be labeled a super food.
A real super food are things like chia and flax seeds.
They have the same amount of protein but high levels of omega-3 fats as well.
So again, I would do those instead, a much, much better option.
Hey, I hope you've enjoyed this video on me answering the question, "Is soy good for you?"
This has been me, Dr. Axe.
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Our YouTube videos have got a lot of great content coming out.
Also, if you want to learn more about soy, you can do a search here on the site, draxe.com,
draxe.com.
I actually have a lot more videos on soy and answering that question, "Is it good or bad
for you?"
Hey guys, thanks for watching.