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The danger of isolated soy protein


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Hm, interesting indeed. He's not completely clear though. Is it Soy Isolated Protein that's the cause, or soy in general? Cause, soymilk isn't "isolated protein" to my knowledge.

 

What this tells me is: everything in moderation. If using protein powders, combine soy, pea, rice, hemp, and whatever else. This would make a more balanced intake anyway than relying on a single thing

Edited by Katabatic
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That was a very good video.

 

The thing with the IGF-1 in soy is that soy basically imitates it. It takes a ton of soy to make 40g of isolated soy protein. I'm sure and that's what makes it so concentrated. The IGF-1 from cow's milk is from the hormones of the pregnant lactating cow.

 

I stayed away from soy protein powder and fake meats because I didn't like that they were processed. I also heard that they were studied about their effects on the body and how they cause cancer etc. This video was more clarifying about that.

I've been cutting out soy from my diet for awhile and I'm glad I'm doing so.

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Thanks for that link, Alison. I've been reading similar things about that study done on isolated soy protein and we've been changing our eating habits based on that research. I now wonder if isolated pea, buckwheat and rice proteins might also raise IGF-1 levels. Whole foods are obviously the way to go.

 

For those of you questioning soy, there is not indication that tofu, soy milk or tempeh raises IGF-1 levels. Isolated soy protein (in processed soy products) is the culprit.

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Very interesting.

 

Do you guys have any idea, what part is the bad one in soy protein? Looking at the analysis of my soy protein it shows only amino acids and minerals. What more hidden stuff is in it that makes the IGF-1 level raise?

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I don't believe anyone has isolated a single compound in any food that increases the body's secretion of IGF-1 and I don't know that these studies are even necessary. Here is a link to a study that shows a correlation between high GI foods and an increase in IGF-1. The link brings you to an editorial, but the actual study link is at the bottom.

 

I think the take-home message is that processed foods (simple sugars, processed grains, isolated or concentrated proteins or fats) wreak havoc with our bodies in ways we are only beginning to understand. Over the past century, we have been able to modify foods very quickly - but it takes the human body hundreds, if not thousands, of years to adapt to food changes.

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I think the take-home message is that processed foods (simple sugars, processed grains, isolated or concentrated proteins or fats) wreak havoc with our bodies in ways we are only beginning to understand. Over the past century, we have been able to modify foods very quickly - but it takes the human body hundreds, if not thousands, of years to adapt to food changes.

 

Whole vegan foods!

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how does IGF-1 affect muscle growth?

Insulin like growth factor - 1. Waddayathink?

It'll most likely make you grow faster.

 

It will be interesting to see how this big experiment is turning out where people are believing that gobbling down huge amounts of various proteins is what healthy people do. There is a story to follow that basically spans nutritional science, as I understand it, and it is that whole foods is the way to go. Whatever miracle processed food someone comes up with usually (or never) stands the test of time. Right now whey, casein and other perverted versions of nature are considered healthy, in 20 years it will be something else.

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how does IGF-1 affect muscle growth?

Insulin like growth factor - 1. Waddayathink?

It'll most likely make you grow faster.

 

yeah that's what i thought and that's good

 

Yes, good for muscle growth.

But it also promotes growth of things you don't want growing in your body, cancer is one.

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how does IGF-1 affect muscle growth?

Insulin like growth factor - 1. Waddayathink?

It'll most likely make you grow faster.

 

yeah that's what i thought and that's good

 

Yes, good for muscle growth.

But it also promotes growth of things you don't want growing in your body, cancer is one.

 

dood i know. i was just kidding

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Thanks for that link, Alison. I've been reading similar things about that study done on isolated soy protein and we've been changing our eating habits based on that research. I now wonder if isolated pea, buckwheat and rice proteins might also raise IGF-1 levels. Whole foods are obviously the way to go.

 

For those of you questioning soy, there is not indication that tofu, soy milk or tempeh raises IGF-1 levels. Isolated soy protein (in processed soy products) is the culprit.

 

Thanks for clearing that up DV. I was wondering if it meant tofu and soy milk as well. I don't eat much of that either, but the odd serving of tofu in a restaurant or something is nice to have. I also wonder about the isolated pea proteins and all the rest. I am still using pea protein but I think when its finished I will stick to Vega since its a whole food.

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Thanks for that link, Alison. I've been reading similar things about that study done on isolated soy protein and we've been changing our eating habits based on that research. I now wonder if isolated pea, buckwheat and rice proteins might also raise IGF-1 levels. Whole foods are obviously the way to go.

 

For those of you questioning soy, there is not indication that tofu, soy milk or tempeh raises IGF-1 levels. Isolated soy protein (in processed soy products) is the culprit.

 

Thanks for clearing that up DV. I was wondering if it meant tofu and soy milk as well. I don't eat much of that either, but the odd serving of tofu in a restaurant or something is nice to have. I also wonder about the isolated pea proteins and all the rest. I am still using pea protein but I think when its finished I will stick to Vega since its a whole food.

 

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing but I recall reading another study about the effects of those and they were not shown to increase IGF-1 levels.

As for the other proteins, I'm not too sure. I THINK that the reason isolated soy protein has high levels of IGF-1 is due to the fact that it has chemicals in it that imitate human hormone levels. Isoflavones for example, imitate estrogen.

Vega has some isolated pea protein and also rice and hemp protein in it. I think it might be safer as it has more than one kind of protein in it. I only use half a serving after workouts, and 1/4 serving in my breakfast smoothie. I also use raw hemp powder in my green smoothies.

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I am still using pea protein but I think when its finished I will stick to Vega since its a whole food.

 

A whole food that uses quite a bit of isolated hemp and pea protein in it.

 

Well hemp isn't an isolated protein, it is a whole food. I was under the impression that since Vega advertises itself as being exclusively from whole foods, that the rice and pea part of it might not be from isolates but rather from the foods themselves.

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I am still using pea protein but I think when its finished I will stick to Vega since its a whole food.

 

A whole food that uses quite a bit of isolated hemp and pea protein in it.

 

Well hemp isn't an isolated protein, it is a whole food. I was under the impression that since Vega advertises itself as being exclusively from whole foods, that the rice and pea part of it might not be from isolates but rather from the foods themselves.

 

True but i heard DV say she wondered about hemp as well. There is definitely pea isolate in it though.

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This is interesting, because conventional bodybuilders are always trying to spike IGF levels for better growth, perhaps not realizing (or not caring) that it will be detrimental to health in the long term. IGF is a growth factor for prostate cancer, I remember offhand, and I'm sure there are others. To me it is utter stupidity to focus wholly on the body's appearance and not its state of health.

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This is interesting, because conventional bodybuilders are always trying to spike IGF levels for better growth, perhaps not realizing (or not caring) that it will be detrimental to health in the long term. IGF is a growth factor for prostate cancer, I remember offhand, and I'm sure there are others. To me it is utter stupidity to focus wholly on the body's appearance and not its state of health.

 

IGF-1 is one of the most appreciated androgen hormones.

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It's quite a catch-22, isn't it?

 

I'm coming to the conclusion that HEALTHY bodybuilding may not result in very fast muscle growth, but I believe it can result in large growth. Bodybuilding is a new phenomenon but there are examples of natural bodybuilders from years ago - before we had isolated proteins and amino acids.

 

As for other isolated proteins (other than soy), I no longer believe they are safe until proven otherwise. I found one site that claims it's product (a pea protein isolate) causes elevation of IGF-1, as a positive aspect of the product. When something is advertised as "from whole food sources" that doesn't mean the final product is a whole food. Splenda is advertised as coming from "real sugar." You can look up the ingredients list of your current powder and decide for yourself if it is a whole food or not.

 

Interestingly, if you google "IGF-1 and muscle growth" you will find many claims about the wonders of IGF-1. If you google "IGF-1 and cancer" the first site listed warns about the danger of IGF-1 and bodybuilders. There has been a lot of research on IGF-1 and cancer - which shows a dangerous correlation. However, those who focus on the muscle growth aspect of IGF-1 downplay this correlation. I think we're in uncharted waters here with all these new isolated protein powders. I am definitely removing them (and isolated amino acids) from my diet. While correlation does not equal cause-and-effect, I don't need much more proof that ingesting a man-made (or man-manipulated) substance may have negative health consequences.

 

Keep in mind that lifting weight also increases the release of IGF-1, so it is not unnatural for human adults who do hard manual labor to have higher levels of IGF-1 and larger muscles. I'm sure there is a balance where some IGF-1 is good and some is too much.

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Just curious DV, what are you doing for after workout nutrition? Have you decided to drop the idea entirely or are you eating beans or something?

 

One thing people always focus on with post-workout nutrition is to keep it low or devoid of fiber and fat. With the purported larger size of nutrition window after workouts, it doesn't seem it would be a problem to have something higher in fiber or fat so long as you got it early in the window so your body can get to the nutrients before the window ends. Which, if you want to go a whole food route, you are pretty much going to have to deal with either fat, fiber or both, unless you are considering spirulina as a healthy whole food to use.

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