Sayonara, Soy?

Sayonara, Soy?

Recently we’ve been bombarded with reports of things that don’t seem to have a health-protective action: omega-3s for cancer, statins for cancer, echinacea for the common cold, testosterone for Alzheimer’s, as well as most hangover treatments. But maybe it’s good to know when things don’t work, so you can save money on them and sped it on things that do work.

Most recently, soy protein has come under fire. An American Heart Association committee has negated the health claim that soy-based foods and supplements significantly lower cholesterol. They reviewed 22 well-controlled dietary soy protein studies and 19 of soy-isoflavones, and found there was no effect on LDL-cholesterol or other lipid risk factors. Of course, soy and isoflavone products are good foods because they have a high content of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and low saturated fat content. But they don’t have any direct major health benefit . . . and they’re not cheap.