1. May Interfere With Thyroid Regulation

✓Soy foods may increase the risk of developing hypothyroidism in people with compromised thyroid function. Such individuals may develop goiter and autoimmune thyroid disease. This risk further increases when the individual’s iodine intake is low.

✓Soy isoflavones have been found to inhibit the activity of an enzyme called thyroid peroxidase. This enzyme is required for the synthesis of the thyroid hormone. This is why you may face a risk of hypothyroidism when you eat a lot of soy protein.

2. May Cause Testosterone Imbalance

✓Soy protein is said to have adverse effects on the male reproductive function. However, there are no specific studies in this regard. Some animal studies, in fact, state that soy isoflavones do not exert any feminizing effects on men.

3. May Elicit Hypersensitivity (Allergy)

✓Soy products can cause allergies or hypersensitivity in children and adults. Often, soy allergy starts in infancy, with reaction to soy-Soy products that can cause allergies or hypersensitivity in children and adults. Often, soy allergy starts in infancy with a reaction to soy-based infant formula. However, most children outgrow soy allergy.

4. May Increase The Risk Of Cancer Proliferation

✓Soy isoflavones may stimulate the proliferation of cancer cells in your body. This is especially true in the case of estrogen-dependent breast cancer, as soy isoflavones tend to have estrogenic effects.

✓The amount and source of soy isoflavones also greatly impact breast cancer risk.

5. May Trigger Alzheimer’s Dementia

✓When you eat unfermented, cooked/uncooked soy foods, these anti-nutrients may affect the vital systems of your body, including your brain.

✓These anti-nutrients in soy could have detrimental effects on many individuals. Soy isoflavones could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia.

6. May Cause Infant Health Issues

✓Infant food formulas contain fair amounts of soy protein/isoflavones. Infants who are fed these formulas are exposed to 5.7–11.9 mg isoflavones/kg body weight during the first four months of life.

✓These kids are exposed to 6–11 times higher levels of isoflavones than adults. This could lead to disturbances in the reproductive health and endocrine function in the child. The major isoflavones, daidzein and genistein, preferentially bind to the estrogen receptors in the body.

7. Unsure Osteoprotective Effects

✓Soy protein has shown to conserve bone mineral density, particularly in postmenopausal women. In perimenopausal women, the soy isoflavones were shown to prevent bone loss from the lumbar spine. These compounds had no significant effect on bone formation and/or bone resorption.

✓In some cases, the mineral balance could be impaired with soy consumption. Soybeans contain about 1–3% phytic acid. Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that binds to minerals like zinc, iron, and calcium.