Veterinarian claims Burger King's Impossible Whopper 'will make men grow breasts' because of soy proteins
With cruelty-free, plant-based vegan products becoming a food fad, a doctor of veterinary medicine has sounded a note of caution.
In a report in Tri-State Livestock News, Dr. James Stangle of South Dakota has suggested that Burger King's soy-based meatless burger, the Impossible Whopper, has so much estrogen from soy that it could make men grow breasts.
The meatless patties are produced by California tech startup Impossible Foods. The patty is made with soy protein, coconut oil, potato protein, sunflower oil and heme, a plant-based ingredient that makes the burger "taste like meat", according to Impossible Foods.
Strangle, comparing the soy-based Impossible Whopper to the beef Whopper, claims that "an impossible whopper has 18 million times as much estrogen as a regular whopper".
Stangle's critique of soy-based food is just one among many, especially from the meat industry lobby, about how soy-products cause feminization in men. However, there is still little evidence to definitively prove these claims.
The Environmental Health Perspectives reported that soy contains a high concentration of isoflavones, which "belong to a class of compounds generally known as phytoestrogens."
These plant compounds are similar in function to human estrogen but with much weaker effects. Soy may also adversely affect thyroid function and interfere with the absorption of synthetic thyroid hormone in hypothyroid patients.
New York University nutrition professor, Marion Nestle, told the Washington Post that the apprehension surrounding soy has been an ongoing point of debate. Nestle reviewed soy for her 2006 book, 'What to Eat' and found conflicting conclusions.
While some said it was the healthiest food ever, others thought it was "poison" throwing off the hormonal balance of the human body.
"Whether this is good, bad or indifferent depends entirely on who you read and what you read. There is an enormous, enormous, enormous amount of literature on soy estrogens, and it comes to sort of baffling conclusions," she revealed.
However, according to Nestle, there was nothing to worry about. "Asians have been eating soy products for millennia and don’t seem to be any the worse for it. They have among the longest lifespans and best health, at least in classic diets."
"There is a special concern about . . . men and boys who eat soy products, but again, if you look at populations that eat a lot of soy products, there is no evidence of particular problems. No, they don't grow breasts," she added.
Other soy products like soy-based infant formulas are also raising concerns in the nutrition field.
The National Institute of Environmental Health acknowledges that despite there being no documented health concerns, "infants go[ing] through developmental stages are sensitive to estrogens. Therefore, infants are more likely than adults to be vulnerable to the estrogen-like effects of the phytoestrogens in soy."
In animal test subjects, soy has triggered the early onset of puberty in females and alterations in the development of breast tissue. However, the Harvard Public School of Health warns that these studies should not be the basis of an individual's decision.
Since soy may be metabolized differently in animals, "the outcomes of animal studies may not be applicable to humans", according to them.
They have also pointed out that soy "may be broken down and used by the body differently in different ethnic groups, which is why individuals from some countries who eat a lot of soy appear to benefit from the food."
According to Nestle, following the golden rule of moderation is the key to incorporating soy-based products in your diet. "Eating it once in a while is unlikely to be harmful. Eating it every day and having it as a main source of calories, I don’t know anybody who does that."