A
I’VE HEARD THAT SOY FOODS
ARE LINKED TO CANCER. ARE
THEY SAFE TO EAT?
Actually, cholesterol in food does
raise blood cholesterol, though not aspredictably as do saturated and trans fats.
The point may be moot, as most foods that
contain cholesterol also contain saturated fats.
The effect that dietary cholesterol has on your
blood cholesterol depends in part on the rest
of your diet: If your diet is already high in
saturated fats and cholesterol, adding more
cholesterol won’t have as much of an effect.
But if your diet is healthy overall, more dietary
cholesterol will cause a greater increase in your
blood cholesterol. Also, high-cholesterol foods,
such as eggs, have been shown to promote
LDL oxidation and increase the risk of
cardiovascular disease.
—Michelle McMacken, MD, board-certified internal medicine
physician and assistant professor of medicine at New York
University School of Medicine
SOY IS
ACTUALLY
VERY HEALTHY
AND HAS
MANY
BENEFICIAL
EFFECTS.”
—Shivam Joshi, MDThere is a lot of confusion about soy.
Soy is actually very healthy and has many
beneficial eff ects. Multiple studies have shown that
soy reduces the risk of developing breast cancer,
the risk of recurrence for those who have already
had breast cancer, and the risk of dying from
breast cancer. Soy does contain phytoestrogens,
which, contrary to popular belief, do not cause
gynecomastia (breast enlargement) in men
or breast cancer in women. In fact, these
phytoestrogens are thought to be responsible
for some of soy’s beneficial eff ects in breast
cancer. If you’re concerned about genetically
modified foods, aka GMOs, look for organic soy,
which is not genetically modified and also has
less pesticide exposure.
—Shivam Joshi, MD, board-certified internal medicine physician
at New York University School of Medicine