12 replies to this topic

[nancyd]

I'm vegan and have been eating tofu with quinoa for protein, but I have no idea if it's actually healthy. A lot of nutritionists say it is and others say it isn't. Which is it?

[scottknl]

Plant based proteins are better for you than animal based proteins.  Soy is good if you're not experiencing any thyroid problems.  Many Vegans focus too much on soy any thus reduce the number of different plants they consume.  Diversity of your diet leads to a good diversity of nutrients.  The studies that have been done that point to bad health effects were done in countries where they taint their tofu manufacturing with aluminum or formaldehyde or other chemicals.  

 

Here's a bunch of short videos on tofu: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/

 

[nancyd]

Thanks. Yes, I would never eat animal based protein. I have been eating it everyday just because I like it, but it's probably just a cup per day.

[StephCThomp]

That's a lot of soy. It could very well depress your Thyroid and have other hormonal effects.

 

Critically, living in the US, any locally made product has a 90% chance of being GM.  That's an even bigger downside health-wise.  However much tofu you decide is right for you, do make it a very high priority to identify a product made from traditional, non-GM beans.

[timar]

There is actually not that much of a difference between animal and soy protein. The latter is lower in methionine than most animal protein but not by a large margin (maybe 30-40% on avarage). If you want to reap the (somewhat hypothetical) benefits of a vegan diet low in methionine it is clearly counterproductive to consume large amounts of tofu or other meat substitutes. From its content of methionine and BCAA, one cup of tofu is comparable to two cups of milk or 3 ounces of meat. I don't think the phytoestrogens are much of an issue, though.

 

I also don't think that GMO is an issue healthwise, but if you want to make sure to get non-GMO tofu, just buy organic.

Edited by timar, 26 October 2014 - 11:04 AM.

[StephCThomp]

Just FYI for those not yet familiar with the problems with GM soy... 

 

It has been genetically altered to withstand the application of very high herbicide rates, so may have high residues of these chemicals.  Human studies show a large increase in allergic response; animal feeding studies show liver changes, markedly under-sized offspring, a massive increase in neonatal deaths, and a reduction and eventual cessation of fertility over a few generations.  (Comparisons against same feeding protocol using non-GM soy, and other protocols.)

 

I'd suggest this is not to be taken lightly by anyone consuming a significant amount of soy regularly.

 

But thankfully yes, "organic" in the US does also mean "non-GMO".  So stick with that.

Edited by StephCThomp, 26 October 2014 - 11:48 AM.

[nancyd]

Wow. I had no idea about that except I knew most soy was GMO. I was eating non-gmo verified, but I'm immediately dropping all soy. I use protein powders anyway.

[Thew]

Tofu is healthy, can be a source of calcium. And it's delicious anyway with some sauce.

[cats_lover]

Resarch show that tofu increase brain ageing ("damage")

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/18583909

 

Evidence is strong...

[timar]

Evidence is strong...

 

That may seem so - but only to people who have eaten too much tofu...

Edited by timar, 17 September 2015 - 08:52 AM.

[cats_lover]

Previous research also shows brain ageing:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10763906

[timar]

It is true that the research on tofu consumption and cognitive decline is inconclusive. However, cherry picking the few studies that showed a positive association between tofu consumption and cognitive declines completely distorts the evidence. The study by White et al. has been done on a collective established in the 1960s. This was well before the advent of B12 supplements - the first total synthesis of vitamin B12 was described by Eschenmoser and Woodward in 1972 and it was not until the 1980s that B12 supplements for vegetarians became widely available. It is highly likely that most participants with a high consumption of tofu were (strict) vegetarians and suffered from a long-term deficit in B12 which is well known to promote cognitive decline. The data on an Indonesian collective published in the 2008 paper by Hogervorst et al. has later been reanalyzed by the same(!) author, now showing beneficial effects and concluding that the previously seen adverse effect was likely due to unresolved confounding. Dr Greger also made an important point in this video adressing the original Hogervorst paper, that in East Asia, tofu is often preserved by the addition of formaldehyde, which would turn it into an unhealthy food indeed.

 

The most important point however is that those studies are obviously outliers. We have epidemiological studies of a much larger scale and higher quality ongoing in Europe, the United States, Japan and China, with millions of participants, and none of them has shown any adverse effects on cognitive function from regular tofu consumption. Moreover, if the phytoestrogens from tofu would be to blame, we would see much more dramatic negative effects from hormone replacement therapy and isoflavone supplementation, which doesn't seem to be the case. Considering the big picture, the evidence for detrimental effects on cognitive function is weak and inconclusive. The majority of the evidence suggest a mildly beneficial effect from tofu consumption.

Edited by timar, 17 September 2015 - 05:21 PM.

[cats_lover]

It is true that the research on tofu consumption and cognitive decline is inconclusive. However, cherry picking the few studies that showed a positive association between tofu consumption and cognitive declines totally distorts the evidence. The study by White et al. has been done on a collective established in the 1960s. This was well before the advent of B12 supplements - the first total synthesis of vitamin B12 was described by Eschenmoser and Woodward in 1972 and it was not until the 1980s that B12 supplements for vegetarians became widely available. It is highly likely that those participants with a high consumption of tofu were (strict) vegetarians and suffered from a long-term deficit in B12 which is well known to promote cognitive decline. The data on an Indonesian collective published in the 2008 paper by Hogervorst et al. has later been reanalyzed by the same(!) author, now showing beneficial effects and concluding that the previously seen adverse effect was likely due to unresolved confounding. Dr Greger also made an important point in this video adressing the original Hogervorst paper, that in East Asia, tofu is often preserved by the addition of formaldehyde, which would turn it into an unhealthy food indeed.

 

The most important point however is that those studies are obviously outliers. We have epidemiological studies of a much larger scale and higher quality ongoing in Europe, the United States, Japan and China, with millions of participants, and none of them has shown any adverse effects on cognitive function from regular tofu consumption. Moreover, if the phytoestrogens from tofu would be to blame, we would see much more dramatic negative effects from hormone replacement therapy and isoflavone supplementation, which doesn't seem to be the case. Considering the big picture, the evidence for detrimental effects on cognitive function is weak and inconclusive. There's more evidence suggesting a mindly beneficial effect.

 

Well, you are very knowledgeable about the subject Timar.

 

Thank you for share your knowledge
 

You have given me a new perspective

Edited by cats_lover, 17 September 2015 - 05:21 PM.