Waking Times Dr. Mercola, Guest
Waking Times
Far worse than the biologic damage caused by refined sugar is the molecular havoc caused by processed vegetable oils. Soybean oil in particular has a questionable safety profile for several reasons, and processed foods are positively loaded with it.
Whether partially hydrogenated, organic or genetically modified to be low in linoleic acid, soybean oil can cause dysfunction at a cellular level. Unfortunately, many health authorities have insisted omega-6-rich vegetable oils like soybean oil are healthier than saturated animal fats such as butter and lard, and this myth has been a tough one to dismantle, despite the evidence against it.
An estimated 94% of the soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered (GE) to tolerate herbicides, primarily glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto/Bayer’s Roundup), which cannot be washed off. As a result, most soybean-based products are contaminated with glyphosate, which compounds their toxicity.
Soybean Oil Linked to Genetic and Neurological Damage
Most recently, research published in the journal Endocrinology warns soybean oil — the most widely consumed cooking oil in America — can cause neurological and metabolic changes associated with:
| Autism | Alzheimer’s disease |
| Anxiety | Depression |
| Obesity | Insulin resistance |
| Type 2 diabetes | Fatty liver disease |
The study, done on mice, compared the health effects of diets high in conventional soybean oil, GE soybean oil low in linoleic acid and coconut oil. As reported by Neuroscience News:
“The same UCR research team found in 2015 that soybean oil induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver in mice. Then in a 2017 study, the same group learned that if soybean oil is engineered to be low in linoleic acid, it induces less obesity and insulin resistance.
However, in the study released this month, researchers did not find any difference between the modified and unmodified soybean oil’s effects on the brain. Specifically, the scientists found pronounced effects of the oil on the hypothalamus, where a number of critical processes take place.”
Your hypothalamus is a key regulator of homeostasis and metabolism in your body, and also plays a role in your stress response and hormone regulation.
According to the authors, the soybean diets (both conventional and GE), caused dysfunction in about 100 different genes in the hypothalamus, including one that is responsible for producing oxytocin, colloquially known as “the love hormone,” which has beneficial effects on your heart.
Other dysregulated genes included ones associated with “inflammation, neuroendocrine, neurochemical and insulin signaling.” The coconut oil diet had “negligible effect.”
The fact that GE soybean oil that is designed to be low in omega-6 linoleic acid had similar effects as conventional high-linolenic acid soybean oil effects suggests linoleic acid isn’t the problem, as previously suspected. The study also ruled out another suspected soybean chemical, stigmasterol, as coconut oil enriched in stigmasterol had no ill effects.
The team will continue their investigation in an effort to identify the real culprit behind these genetic effects. In the meantime, co-author Poonamjot Deol, an assistant project scientist at the University of California Riverside, urges people to “reduce consumption of soybean oil.”
Unfermented Soy Linked to Many Health Problems
The idea that unfermented soy in general and soybean oil in particular, are healthy is refuted by thousands of studies linking unfermented soy to a wide range of health problems. In her book, “The Whole Soy Story,” Dr. Kaayla Daniel details research implicating unfermented soy in the development of:
| Malnutrition | Digestive distress |
| Immune system breakdown | Thyroid dysfunction |
| Cognitive decline | Reproductive disorders |
| Infertility | Cancer |
| Heart disease | Food allergies |
Fermented organic soy, on the other hand, has a number of important health benefits, and are the only soy products I recommend eating. Healthy options include:
- Tempeh — A fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.
- Miso — A fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).
- Natto — Fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor.
- Soy sauce — Traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes; beware that many varieties on the market today are made artificially, using a chemical process.
Problematic Components in Soy
While the featured Endocrinology study was unable to identify the exact soy compound responsible for the genetic damage, there are many plant chemicals found in soy that are capable of causing problems, including: “READ MORE…”