Soy is not a food product, regardless of what you believe or have been told. Yet, there are a myriad of products on the market, which usually include health claims in their labeling. Our widespread (irrational) fear of fats has led to the massive explosion of soy products. Soy has always been a health mistake, especially in light of the following report.

Through research and investigations on agricultural issues, The Cornucopia Institute will provide needed information to consumers, family farmers, and the media. Contact information for this institute is listed below. I’m drawing on their 2009 report, “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry.”

Part II of the report exposes a “dirty little secret” in the natural foods business—the widespread use of a toxic and environmentally damaging chemical, hexane, in the manufacturing of “natural” soyfoods such as vegetarian burgers, nutrition bars, and protein shakes. The use of chemical solvents such as hexane is strictly prohibited in organic food processing, yet its use is widespread in the “natural” soy industry.

Hexane, a neurotoxin, is listed as a “hazardous air pollutant” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and grain processors, including soy processors, are responsible for more than two-thirds of all hexane emissions in the United States.

What is hexane used for? It is used to extract oil from grains as well as protein from soy and persists in the final food product created.

Long-term toxicity of n-hexane in humans is well known. Extensive peripheral nervous system failure is known to occur in humans chronically exposed to n-hexane. The initial symptoms are tingling and cramps in the arms and legs, followed by general muscular weakness. In severe cases, atrophy of the skeletal muscles  is observed, along with a loss of coordination and problems of vision. Similar symptoms are observed in animal models. They are associated with a degeneration of the peripheral nervous system (and eventually the central nervous system). I suggest that people sufferieng from debilitating conditions, like multiple sclerosis, keep this in mind when they decide to consume soy products. It is possible that you are receiving a dose of hexene that can worsen your symptoms.

When you consume any soy product, you are also receiving a dose of hexane.

You can read more on our website. Search for soy and you’ll see almost 20 articles about the harmful effects of this little bean. For a taste of my opinion on soy, check out the articles in Things To Avoid: Soy.

Contact information:

The Cornucopia Institute
P.O. Box 126
Cornucopia, WI 54827
978-369-6409 voice
866-861-2214 fax
cultivate@cornucopia.org
www.cornucopia.org