Too Much Soy Could Lead To Kidney Stones

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> <nicola

> Thursday, September 06, 2001 2:28 PM

> Too Much Soy Could Lead To Kidney Stones]

>

> > Too Much Soy Could Lead To Kidney Stones

> >

> > Source: American Chemical Society (http://www.acs.org/)

> >

> > Posted 8/29/2001

> >

> > Too Much Soy Could Lead To Kidney Stones

> > New research indicates that soybeans and soy-based foods, a staple in

> > the

> > diets of many health-conscious consumers, may promote kidney stones in

> > those prone to the painful condition. The finding will be published in

> > the

> > September issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a

> > peer-

> > reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest

> > scientific society.

> >

> > The researchers measured nearly a dozen varieties of soybeans for

> > oxalate,

> > a compound that can bind with calcium in the kidney to form kidney

> > stones.

> > They also tested 13 types of soy-based foods, finding enough oxalate in

> > each to potentially cause problems for people with a history of kidney

> > stones,

> > according to Linda Massey, Ph.D., at Washington State University in

> > Spokane. The amount of oxalate in the commercial products easily

> > eclipsed

> > the American Dietetic Association's 10 milligram-per-serving

> > recommendation for patients with kidney stones, with some foods reaching

> >

> > up to 50 times higher than the suggested limit, she noted.

> >

> > " Under these guidelines, no soybean or soy-[based] food tested could be

> > recommended for consumption by patients with a personal history of

> > kidney

> > stones, " she said.

> >

> > No one had previously examined soy foods for oxalate, thus the

> > researchers

> > are the first to identify oxalate in store-bought products like tofu,

> > soy cheese

> > and soy drinks. Other foods, such as spinach and rhubarb, also contain

> > significant oxalate levels, but are not as widely consumed for their

> > presumed

> > health benefits, Massey said.

> >

> > During their testing, the researchers found the highest oxalate levels

> > in

> > textured soy protein, which contains up to 638 milligrams of oxalate per

> > 85-

> > gram serving. Soy cheese had the lowest oxalate content, at 16

> > milligrams

> > per serving. Spinach, measured during previous research, has

> > approximately

> > 543 milligrams per one-cup (2 oz. fresh) serving.

> >

> > Soy, a natural source of protein, fiber and healthy oils, is used to

> > enhance a

> > myriad of foods, ranging from hamburgers to ice cream. It can be ground

> > into

> > flour and used in a variety of grain products, or formed into chunks and

> >

> > ground like meat. Soy is also being studied for its potential to lower

> > cholesterol, reduce bone loss and prevent breast cancer. The U.S. Food

> > and

> > Drug Administration recently approved a new label on foods containing at

> >

> > least 6.25 grams of soy protein per serving that boasts of a reduced

> > risk of

> > cardiovascular disease.

> >

> > Oxalate, however, cannot be metabolized by the body and is excreted only

> >

> > through urine, Massey said. The compound has no nutritional value, but

> > binds

> > to calcium to form a mass (kidney stones) that can block the urinary

> > system,

> > she said. Further research is needed to find types of soybeans with less

> >

> > oxalate, or to develop a processing method to remove the compound before

> >

> > it reaches consumers, she added.

> >

> > No one knows precisely why kidney stones occur in particular

> > individuals. But

> > Massey said high levels of oxalate in the urine increase the risk and

> > those

> > with a family history of the ailment are more likely to suffer from the

> > condition;

> > individuals with a low probability of kidney stones are unlikely to be

> > affected

> > by oxalate in soy-based foods.

> >

> > More than one million people were diagnosed with kidney stones in the

> > United States in 1996, the most recent available data, according to the

> > National Institutes of Health. Stones can range in size from the

> > diameter of a

> > grain of rice to the width of a golf ball. An estimated 10 percent of

> > the U.S.

> > population, mostly men, will develop a kidney stone at some point in

> > their

> > lives, according to the NIH.

> >

> >

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