April 9, 2008

German studies find excessive soy intake can damage cells

German researchers said that a diet with high concentrations of soy can have negative effects on humans and animals, as some ingredients like isoflavones can damage intestinal cells.

Certain hormonally active ingredients called isoflavones might give problems, the Research Institute for the Biology of Farm Animals (FBN) in Dummerstorf near Rostock said.

German trials with pigs muscle cells with a FBN developed procedure revealed that high doses of isoflavones can damage the cells, FBN project leader Charlotte Rehfeldt pointed.

However, low concentrations of isoflavones were found to have positive growth effects.

Other studies have shown that the isoflavones genistein and daidzein have positive hormonal effects, but also can damage intestinal cells.

Rehfeldts said that to reduce the harmful properties of soy in specific therapies is to remove genistein and daidzein from the soy products.