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Soy is pretty well-documented as having long-term negative health consequences that out-weigh its nominal benefits. As a rule, I generally don't eat soy products on a regular basis. The primary negative effects I'm worried about is the interference it causes with the normal estrogen cycle, which can cause the deterioration of performance of some organs, and the long-term brain damage and dementia associated with it. The brain damage and dementia part has less to do with direct damage per se, than that it interferes with the normal repair mechanisms of the brain such that the damage of all the years starts to accumulate without being repaired, amounting to a significant measurable reduction in cognitive capacity and early dementia in older people. In autopsies habitual soy intake is associated with reduced brain weights in mature adults. I personally need all the brain cells I can get. :-)

Nope, soy is on my "avoid eating when convenient" list, along with a few other things. Both long-term American and Asian studies (notably the Japanese) have shown adverse health affects from a diet of soy that generally outweigh its benefits. The evidence is substantial enough that it is hard to ignore. Fortunately, I was never keen on soy anyway.

From Mark Messina, PhD...."Conclusion. One study has suggested a link between tofu consumption and poorer cognitive function in old age, but this is an epidemiological study. Therefore it doesn't show cause and effect. It did not look at diet extensively enough to draw firm conclusions. And there are no other studies to support it and three clinical studies suggest soy and isoflavones have beneficial effects on cognition. At this point, there is no reason to believe that eating soyfoods is harmful to brain aging."

I don't believe the PROOF is there yet that SOY is THE problem......and I do NOT believe it is "well documented.".....too many other factors.....I've not seen any Japanese results .....but since the Japanese have LESS cognitive problems in aging than North Americans....I'd doubt soy's impact there, also.

Anything highly processed or in excess, however, will probably cause problems.

In autopsies habitual soy intake is associated with reduced brain weights in mature adults.

Being a scientist, and therefore a questioning skeptic, I have to ask 1) is this true, since I have not seen this claim before; and 2) whether the soy consumption causes a reduced brain weight, or is the reduction in brain mass a result of the vegetarian diet that usually accompanies increased consumption of soy?

Personally, I feel that if the idea of eating something nauseates me, then I'm better off avoiding it. Therefore, no soy for me.

Soy is pretty well-documented as having long-term negative health consequences that out-weigh its nominal benefits

I am intrigued by this statement as I've not done any research on the subject. I've never tried tofu because it doesn't have any appeal to me. I do, however, take granular lecithin (a soy product) which seems to help keep my cholesterol at a reasonable level. Do you think lecithin would be as potentially harmful as other soy products?