The facts on soy!

So what are the facts on soy

Over the years I have been asked what is my thoughts on soy. I have gone though many journals and come across this study to dismiss many misinformation on soy and the effect on IGF-1.
Breast cancer rates are remarkably different even among developed countries. Japanese women living in Japan have about one quarter the rate of breast cancer as that of women in other industrialized nations (1), and the differences are particularly evident after menopause, when breast cancer rates continue to rise with age elsewhere but plateau in Japan. The rate of breast cancer almost doubles in the first 10 years after Japanese women immigrate to the United States or to Australia, and this difference is thought to be related to environmental and lifestyle factors, especially diet (2,3).

An important biomarker of breast cancer risk is serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). A meta-analysis of 17 studies of breast cancer and serum IGF-1 concentrations reported that high serum concentrations of IGF-1 were associated with increased postmenopausal breast cancer risk (4). Laboratory data support a role for the IGF-1 signaling pathway in carcinogenesis, with increased DNA synthesis and decreased cell cycle regulation leading to inhibition of apoptosis (5). Blocking this pathway has been shown to benefit cancer patients (6).

Serum IGF-1 concentrations can be modified by diet, including dairy products and Animal-derived foods (7,8). In vivo trials with green tea and resveratrol also decreased serum concentrations (9,10). Clinical studies conducted in the United States, a non-soy-consuming culture, have reported increased IGF-1 with soy supplementation (11,12).

Seaweed has not been studied for its effects on IGF-1, although it shows antitumor activity in both in vitro and in vivo breast cancer studies (13–16). In further support for a role in breast cancer prevention, a case-control study of women in Korea reported that women with the highest seaweed and soy intake had about half the rate of breast cancer as women who infrequently or never consumed seaweed or soy (17). The best-studied mechanism for its antitumor activity is the high antioxidant effects observed in both laboratory and clinical settings (18–20). The antioxidants characteristic of seaweed include bioactive compounds not found in land plants, including fucoidan, fucoxanthin, and phlorotannins (21).

In this clinical trial conducted with American women, we investigated the importance of dietary seaweed and soy and their impact on several known biomarkers of breast cancer risk, including serum concentrations of IGF-1 and its main binding protein, IGFBP-3.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is an anabolic hormone important for growth and development. However, high-circulating serum concentrations in adults are associated with increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Nutritional status and specific foods influence serum IGF-1 concentrations. Breast cancer incidence is typically low in Asian countries where soy is commonly consumed. Paradoxically, soy supplement trials in American women have reported significant increases in IGF-1. Seaweed also is consumed regularly in Asian countries where breast cancer risk is low. We investigated the possibility that seaweed could modify soy-associated increases in IGF-1 in American women. Thirty healthy postmenopausal women (mean age 58 yr) participated in this 14-wk double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial. Participants consumed 5 g/day placebo or seaweed (Alaria esculenta) in capsules for 7 wk. During the 7th wk, a high-soy protein isolate powder was added (2 mg/kg body weight aglycone equivalent isoflavones). Overnight fasting blood samples were collected after each intervention period. Soy significantly increased serum IGF-1 concentrations compared to the placebo (21.2 nmol/L for soy vs. 16.9 nmol/L for placebo; P = 0.0001). Once the  combination of seaweed and soy  was added it significantly reduced this decrease by about 40% (21.2 nmol/L for soy alone vs. 19.4 nmol/L; P = 0.01). Concurrent seaweed and soy consumption may be important in modifying the effect of soy on IGF-1 serum concentrations. Therefore there still no sound evidence that soy will increase IGF-1. But we have found with the added intake of seaweed and soy IGF-1 has decreased I must add that this was not though a isolated means but rather though whole foods.


To learn more book today and don't get the raw deal on soy pardon the the pun.


Bigger fitter stronger longer 

plant strong! 
Data sourced from University of South Carolina, USA.

Skim Milk and Acne

The National Dairy Council denies that milk intake causes acne, but a study they supported—the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study—found otherwise, as I show in my 3-min. video National Dairy Council on Acne and Milk. The conclusion reads: “We found a positive association with acne for intake of total milk and skim milk. We hypothesize that the association with milk may be because of the presence of hormones and bioactive molecules in milk.” Association does not necessarily mean causation, though. From the accompanying editorial in the Journal of the Australian Academy of Dermatology: “The papers…from the Harvard School of Public Health establish an association between milk consumption and acne. But how could milk cause acne? Because, drinking milk and consuming dairy products from pregnant cows exposes us to the hormones produced by the cows’ pregnancy, hormones that we were not designed to consume during our teenage and adult years. It is no secret that teenagers’ acne closely parallels hormonal activity…So what happens if exogenous hormones are added to the normal endogenous load? And what exactly is the source of these hormones? Consider that, in nature, milk is consumed from a mother, whether human or bovine, until weaning occurs. Normally, the mother then ceases lactation before the next pregnancy occurs—so that consuming milk from a mother pregnant with her next offspring is not a common occurrence. We’ve all seen nature films of animals chasing their offspring away to encourage weaning at the appropriate time. Further, in nature the offspring consumes only the milk of its own species—but both of these natural rules are broken by humans. Viewed objectively, human consumption of large volumes of another species’ milk, especially when that milk comes mainly from pregnant cows during the human’s normally post-weaned years, is essentially unnatural.” The Harvard Nurse’s Health Study found that the association between milk intake and severe physician-diagnosed teenage acne was even more marked for skim milk. This may be because there is so much more estrogen in skim milk. Researchers found 15 steroid sex hormones in commercial milk right off the shelves, and the highest levels were found in skim milk, compared to 2% and whole. Milk—organic or conventional—is naturally a hormone cocktail. This is not a consequence of bovine growth hormone injections or added steroids. As a commentary in the Journal of the Australian Academy of Dermatology noted: “It should surprise no one that milk contains such a heavy complement of growth-enhancing hormones. Milk is, after all, specifically designed to make things grow. By million years of evolution the growth signaling system of mammalian milk is exclusively and physiologically provided to the newborn only during the nursing period. The chronic ‘abuse’ of this mammalian postnatal signaling system by widespread cow milk and dairy consumption in humans of industrialized societies has been proposed to be the major cause of the acne epidemic and the more serious chronic western diseases.” There’s lots of diseases associated with unrestricted growth. So what should we do? The research scientists suggest two solutions to the problem: the restriction of milk consumption or the engineering of milk that doesn’t have these adverse effects. Either way, “Both, restriction of milk consumption or the generation of less insulin affecting milk will have an enormous impact on the prevention of epidemic western diseases like obesity, diabetes mellitus, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases” and acne.


To find out more why not make a booking with Dr Sean. We are also holding a wellness event on Tuesday the 31st Wellness (Mind, Body, Activity) click on the link to find out more.

Poultry and Penis Cancer

One of the reasons it’s so difficult to study the relationship between diet and cancer is because many dietary behaviors are associated with non-dietary behaviors. For example, one of the reasons we used to think coffee-drinking caused cancer was because people who drink coffee are more likely to have a cigarette in the other hand, which led to spurious conclusions. When you factor in those considerations, we find that coffee consumption may actually decrease cancer risk. The reason it was so difficult to study cancer among coffee-drinkers is the same reason it’s so difficult to study cancer among meateaters. Historically, those eating vegetarian have been noted to have lower cancer rates, but maybe it’s just because they exercise more, or smoke less, or inhale less diesel fumes because they all own a Prius :) In my up coming post Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores I profiled new data that attempts to control for non-dietary factors by effectively comparing vegetarians only to meateaters who are as slim as vegetarians, exercise as much, smoke as little, and even eat roughly the same amount of fruits and vegetables. After all, maybe the reason vegetarians have been shown to be healthier is less about eating less meat, and more about eating more plants. Though these rigorous controls undercut key vegetarian advantages, such as lower obesity rates, even when vegetarians were compared in effect only to healthy meateaters with healthier diets, researchers still found “the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians.” The most striking difference between the dietary groups was in the risk for cancers of the blood and bone marrow, such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, various leukemias, and myeloma. Chicken consumption appeared the most hazardous, associated with up to triple the cancer rates for every 50 grams of daily poultry consumption—that’s just a quarter of a chicken breast worth! Why was there so much more lymphoma and leukemia risk among those eating just a small serving of chicken a day? Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?, the association between poultry and cancer may be explained by the presence in chickens’ and turkeys’ flesh of drugs that were fed to the birds, industrial carcinogens such as dioxins, and/or the presence of oncogenic (cancer-causing) viruses. In my Poultry and Penis Cancer post I present the largest study to date on poultry workers and cancer mortality, which found a whopping 8-fold increased risk of dying from penile cancer compared to controls, a finding thought due to chicken virus exposure, raising broader food safety concerns. If chickens can be infected with viruses linked to cancer in consumers, then what about eggs? Find out in Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs. These cancer-causing viruses found in chicken and eggs are utterly destroyed by proper cooking, so the primary risk of infection would presumably be associated with cross-contamination, such as when mixing cake batter, handling raw poultry, or even just touching meat in the supermarket. This month we have free one hour session to the first 10 likes. Until next month be plant strong.

Breakfast: Hearty or Heart-Healthy?

At the end of this month I will embark on a breakfast tour with a corporate health company and it got me thinking … what do Australians class as a healthy breakfast?
You know how your mother used to say breakfast is the most important meal?
Well, she was right! Most of us were brought up hearing about the importance of a good breakfast, and if we wanted to be big and strong we needed a hearty breakfast every morning.
Most Australians use the phrase “hearty breakfast” to describe what they believe is a healthy first meal. Let’s take a look at a typical hearty breakfast consisting of 2 eggs, 2 rashers of bacon, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam, 2 of slices toast and 500ml of frozen orange juice. Here is its nutritional profile:

Total calories 1511 (4834 kilojoules)
Total fat 116g
Saturated fat 34g
Calories from fat 69%
Cholesterol 546mg
Carbohydrate 78g
Dietary fibre 3g
Protein 43g

The mainstream notion of what constitutes a healthy breakfast is skewed. One of our clients who have just been though the ‘12 week Life Transformation Program’ who describes herself mostly now vegan commented on how much energy she now has. She thinks of me as a dynamo and said she could never have hoped to keep up with me in training even though she is half my age. She thought there was no way she could ever do high-intensity exercise - she now outdoes any of her male counterparts. Previously, she always felt sluggish first thing in the morning and had no motivation at all.
Skipping breakfast: a losing proposition
Even though breakfast is considered by most nutritionists to be the most important meal of the day, four out of ten Australians skip it. Some believe it will help with weight loss; however research indicates that skipping meals - especially breakfast – can actually make weight control more difficult. Several studies suggest we tend to accumulate more body fat when eating fewer large meals than when eating the same number of calories in frequent smaller meals. Additionally, eating first thing in the morning may help stabilize blood sugar levels which in turn regulate appetite and energy.
When skipping breakfast, the body runs lower on resources, making one more likely to be tired and less productive. One is also more likely to snack on high-calorie snacks to ward off hunger and make unhealthy choices at lunch, such as eating a larger than normal meal, thereby defeating the purpose of skipping breakfast.
People who eat a nutritious breakfast are more likely to maintain balanced weight, be more productive, and make healthier food choices throughout the day. That’s because skipping breakfast keeps your body in starvation mode, while eating a good meal gives your metabolism a boost. If your last meal is at 7 p.m. and you don’t eat again until noon, you have been fasting for 17 hours.
Not eating for this extended period of time can cause your metabolism to slow down. If the goal is to lose weight, one must keep the metabolism fast to burn fat.
What makes a healthy breakfast?
A healthy breakfast should contain carbohydrate, fibre, some protein - mainly plant, and only a small amount of fat, comprising about 25% of daily nutrient requirements. Whole grains, vegetables, leafy greens, and fruits fit the bill perfectly.
At Transformation, we stress the importance of a healthy breakfast to keep all of our clients mentally alert. We like to start them with 5 grains or buckwheat cereal - this will be in their plan for the first 3 weeks. It is also very important they all start the day with chlorophyll (25mls) followed by a green smoothie with kale or other leafy greens and Juice Plus. Mid-morning brings a second breakfast: ‘green juice’ packed with dark leafy greens, cucumber, celery, apple, and lemon. This keeps our clients energetic and productive and easily carries them until lunch at 1p.m. This breakfast provides a minimum of 18 grams of protein, nearly half the daily requirement for calcium, plenty of fibre and very little fat.
Children also need a good breakfast
While eating breakfast is important for all ages, breakfast is especially important for children and teens. According to the Australian Dietetic Association, children who eat breakfast are more likely to behave better, concentrate, solve problems and have improved hand-eye coordination. They are also more likely to be alert and creative and less likely to miss school. Studies show that kids who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis.
Steer clear of sugary cereals, syrups, pastries and white breads which are digested quickly and will leave the body hungry and tired in a couple of hours. Whole fresh fruit is a healthier alternative to fruit juices which contain mostly sugar. Carbohydrates, protein and fibre satisfy hunger and keep one feeling satisfied until lunchtime. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach also provide a substantial amount of important micronutrients.
Here are a few of the positive results one can expect from eating a low fat, produce-rich breakfast:
Mental clarity: A healthy breakfast refuels the body and provides better concentration and higher productivity throughout the day. Researchers believe this is due to replenishing glucose, the brain’s main energy source.
Weight control: Researchers suggest that eating breakfast may reduce hunger later in the day and that it may cause eaters to choose less-dense foods at later meals. Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast every day are a third less likely to be obese compared to those who skip the meal.
Strength and endurance: People who eat breakfast have higher energy levels, allowing them to engage in more physical activity than people who don’t eat breakfast.
A sample Living Light breakfast
This powerful, nutrient-dense juice is especially valuable as part of a weight-loss program. It provides 200mg of calcium per serving (as much as 2/3 cup/160ml of milk), 9 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of fat. In fact, the calcium present in kale is twice as bio-available to the body as that in cow’s milk. Juice all ingredients and serve immediately.
1 bunch kale, including stems or about 220g or 1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise
1 apple
4 stalks celery
1 lemon, peeled
So to all those mums who nagged us, we say thanks - and yes, you were right!
For more healthy breakfast ideas make a booking with the team at Transformation.

The "Everything in Moderation" Diet Trap

Welcome to 2012. Question: what is the one thing everyone wants to lose at the beginning of a new year and you would be so happy to never find it again ... but come March it finds you?

We’ll leave that answer to the end of the Blog.

I hear this so many times – “moderation in everything". It used to end nutritional discussions before they begin, as if it were a "universal law." And in most areas of life, it is pretty good advice. But when it comes to what you put into your body, it is a huge diet trap.

Some substances are harmful, even when taken in moderation. In fact, there are substances and foods of which even a miniscule portion can kill you - arsenic, for example, or mushrooms. I have just read that two people in Canberra died just this weekend eating wild mushrooms. Of course these are extreme examples, but both demonstrate - immediately and emphatically - the inaccuracy of the phrase. This trap is particularly effective at snaring the unwary eater because it is regularly passed off as a principle.

"Moderation in everything" is not a principle.
This phrase is an untruth (what my mum would call a "lie"). It is a rationalization promoted by people who have a vested interest in maintaining the nutritional status quo and our addictions to junk foods.
When you eat "everything in moderation," you may experience a number of negative consequences - being overweight is just the most immediately visible.

Here's what nutrient rich expert advisors Alan Goldhamer, D.C. and Doug Lisle Ph.D. write in their landmark book, The Pleasure Trap:
"A little bit of coffee is only a little bit toxic and results in only a little bit of increased blood pressure, and thus is responsible for only a little bit of an increase in stroke probability. "A little bit of refined flour is likely to be the cause of only a little bit of excess body fat, and is therefore only a little bit aesthetically displeasing, and is only associated with a little bit of an increase in all-cause mortality."A little bit of alcohol only kills a little bit of the brain with each use, only slightly reducing cognitive capacities, and results in only a small increased risk of death from liver disease or hemorrhagic stroke." You don't need to be some sort of idealist when it comes to food and drink. There will be plenty of times when you will eat some small amounts of nutrient poor food, and enjoy it thoroughly!

Don't sweat the small stuff. "Don't major in minor things," as Tony Robbins says. Instead, focus on eating a diet that is 80-90% nutrient rich. Consume nutrient poor foods as the exception, not the rule.
If you're eating 50-60%, 60-70%, 70-80% nutrient rich, that is all good for you too. What you will realise is that the more nutrient rich you eat the more nutrient rich you will want to eat, because over time, you'll want more of good thing, and only want to eat first class foods.

Unfortunately, here is how we interpret "everything in moderation": "It's OK if I eat pastry, muffins, animal products and drink Pepsi and coffee all day. I'll just make some attempt to have a salad later to get my vitamins."
Who doesn't know this trick? Your mind remembers the last thing you ate and the "vegetable chaser" makes you feel better - as if your body doesn't still have to deal with the large steak or bacon.
When you make these "everything in moderation" decisions over and over each day, your diet basically consists of junk food.
Of course, "moderation in everything" is a central tenet of the Food Pyramid nutrition training and the food marketing practices in which almost all of us have been immersed since kindergarten, or even preschool.
This principle, packaged into the Four Food Groups, is still the basis of how schools are training our children today and how we as dietitians are trained as well and it continues to form the basis of what most Australians believe about nutrition. And this is so, despite the fact that thousands of studies have shown that consumption of a balanced diet based on the Four Food Groups will do nothing for you, except make you fat and more likely to die of heart disease, cancer or stroke.
"Moderation in Everything" (often called "a balanced diet") is not a successful way for you to eat if you aren't striving for extra weight, disease or early death. Half of the people who die in Australia this year will die of a heart attack or stroke. Most of them would not be on this "Preparing to Terminate" list if they weren't basing their diets on the faulty "wisdom" of the "everything in moderation" trap.

We at Transformation will teach you how to get through the ‘Pleasure Trap’. Why not give yourself a great start to 2012 and unlock your hidden force.
Oh yeah, the answer is weight. Have a great 2012 and we’ll see you in Feb.