What are the Soy Protein Isolate Dangers?

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Whenever we hear the words soy protein, the first thing that comes to our mind is “healthy”. This is indeed true since soy protein can be a great substitute or alternative to meat. However, not all of the things that soy protein can bring to our body are considered beneficial. In fact, there are quite a number of negative side effects that we could expect from this type of food especially if it is in isolate form. Here are some of the soy protein isolate dangers that all of us must be aware of.

We all know that protein is an important factor in building our muscles. This is the reason why protein is required in the daily diet of all athletes and bodybuilders. Some of the good sources of protein include meats and eggs. However, taking too much meat can be very dangerous to our health. In fact, too much intake of any animal by-product is considered to be harmful to the body. This is the reason why a lot of us would choose to have soy protein as a replacement. Soy protein is basically derived from the soybean plant, which is available in two different forms namely soy protein concentrate and soy protein isolate. Both forms are actually useful in reducing bad cholesterol level in our body thus reducing the chance of having coronary diseases. Nevertheless, the isolate form of soy protein does have side effects other than positive. Below are some of the most common drawbacks or dangers of soy protein isolates.

In one of the recent studies of the American Dietetic Association, soy protein isolates are known to contain anti-nutrients that can develop or delay the body’s ability to digest food and absorb all the nutrients into the bloodstream. This results in abnormalities in our body’s digestion. In addition to this, soy protein isolates do have phytoestrogens. These plant-derived compounds mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen in the body. Because of this, soy protein can actually cause imbalances in the body hormones and could even cause the enlargement or depression of the thyroid gland thus leading to rapid weight gain or weight loss. Too much intake of soy protein isolates in men could also lower the sperm count as well as the libido. This, however, only occurs upon too much intake of the said soy protein form.

Aside from its natural harmful components, soy protein isolates could also cause harm to the body due to its process of manufacturing. These isolates are actually subjected to acid washing in aluminum tanks thus leaving a huge amount of aluminum in the finished product. Some added ingredients such as nitrates and other chemical flavorings are known to produce harmful developments in the body such as cancer, allergies and even Alzheimer’s disease. These are just some of the soy protein isolate dangers that we must put into consideration once we decide to eat any byproducts that contain soy protein as an ingredient.