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Tags: children, estrogen, formula, isoflavones, isolate, ploy, protein, soy
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quite alarming all the weight gain and such. do you have any sources on that? i must be superman (or woman with all the estrogen in my body) considering i lost about 10 pounds of body weight with a slowed down thyroid gland.
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Check out the “Soy Alert” link above for many articles with references and studies about the dangers of soy.
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I’m trying to find out information for my daughter who recently is suffering from depression that is more than teenage angst. She’s been vegan for a year and a half and has lived on a diet very heavy in soy-based products. I’m suspecting that the soy is causing some of her depression. Is there anything out there that supports this?
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Hi Mary,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for your question.
I plan to write a full post on this in the future, but in the meantime I can answer your question briefly.
A vegan diet could absolutely be causing and/or exacerbating your daughter’s depression. There are several possible mechanisms depending on your daughter’s particular diet and circumstances:
Overconsumption of soy inhibits endorphin production, is known to cause hormonal changes that affect mood and can trigger thyroid condition or worsen and existing thyroid condition, causing depression.
B12 deficiency, which affects up to 80% of vegans.
Iron deficiency, which is also very common amongst strict vegans.
A deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins A, D & K2, which are found primarily in animal products.
Not getting enough high-quality, easily assimilable protein.
Eating too much sugar/carbohydrate. Vegans often have a sweet tooth, because they aren’t getting certain necessary nutrients from what they eat. I’m not just talking about white sugar, which most vegans avoid, but all concentrated sweeteners, fruit and simple carbohydrates.
Too much polyunsaturated fat (vegetable oil). This is found in so-called “healthy” packaged snacks many vegans tend to eat, like vegan cookies.
Lack of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet. Both of these nutrients are essential to human health and play a significant role in regulating mood. Low-cholesterol, in particular, has repeatedly been linked to depression and suicidal behavior.
You might want to check out my page on depression. It contains several links to articles I’ve written and other off-site resources. In particular, this post examines proper nutrition for preventing and healing depression.
If your daughter is open to it, you might want to suggest that she visit this link, which dispels common myths about vegetarianism and points out some of the dangers of following a vegan diet.
Hope this helps!
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Hello,
I’ve been a vegetatian for almost 20 years (more than half my life) and started drinking soy milk 24 years ago, when it was 1st (commercially) available. I have stuck to the same brand my entire life. I have gone for annual bouts of 4 weeks & sometimes evena little longer, when I travel to the USA. I didn’t gain any weight from drdinking soy milk, neither did I lose any weight because I ‘rested’ from drinking soy milk. The brand I drink is high in calcium, iron & B12. Just like milk from a cow, not everyone may be able to handle soy, but for me, I definitely feel it’s the healthy fit for me. -
Hi Melissa,
I’m not sure why you mentioned weight gain or weight loss in regards to consumption of soy milk. Soy is low in calories so it stands to reason that it wouldn’t cause weight gain. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a benign food at all.
For more on the dangers of soy, see this article. You can also read The Whole Soy Story, by Kayla Daniel, Ph.D. The introduction is available online here.
Chris
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