Soy protein can directly interfere with hormonal balance and be pro-inflammatory, increasing the metabolic stress load and affecting immune function.

 

High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.

 

Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders.

 

Trypsin inhibitors cause stunted growth.

 

Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility.

 

Soy phytoestrogens are potent anti-thyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism.

 

Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B12.

 

Soy foods increase the body's requirement for Vitamin D.

Fragile proteins are over-denatured during high temperature processing.

 

Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.

 

Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing.

 

Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum, which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

 

Many animals are allergic to the soy that is in the feeds today. Soy can be present as soybean meal (a byproduct of the soybean oil industry), raw beans, or roasted beans.

 

Certain specific types of protein in soybeans have been shown to cause an inflammatory response in the intestine when exceptionally high levels of soybean meal are included in diets.

 

The anti-nutrients in soy are potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin, erypsin, and other enzymes needed for protein digestion. They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake.

 

Most soybean meal is made through a solvent extraction process.

 

Soy and soybean meal contain goitrogens - substances that depress thyroid function. The thyroid is the regulator of metabolism. When thyroid function is depressed the dog gains weight and exhibits the classical signs of ‘metabolic shutdown’.

 

Soybeans are high in phytic acid (phytate). It's a substance that can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc - in the intestinal tract.

 

Another concern with soy is that it contains a natural chemical that powerfully mimics estrogen, the female hormone. Some studies in animals show that this chemical can alter sexual development.

 

 

Melissa Filler