Going Beyond Nutritional Tribes

The rigid and cult like dynamic with which some individuals stick to dietary tribes concerns me. Often these beliefs are founded more on in-group vs out-group dynamics and a perverse senses of 'right' and 'wrong' as opposed to being based on data or health outcomes.  

I came across a great example of this when I was reading a paper on Phytoestrogens and Synthetic Xenoestrogens. 

For a little back ground, Estrogen is the hormone we all know and love that is present in both males and females. Phytoestrogens are a broad range of chemicals that are similar in structure to estrogen found in plants, hence the name "Phyto" - meaning plant + "Estrogen" - estrogen. Synthetic Xenoestrogens, as the name implies, are a broad range of chemicals that are similar in structure to estrogen but come from human made processes, hence the "Synthetic" -made by humans, "Xeno" - other or foreign, "Estrogen" - again this meaning Estrogen.

The Phytoestrogens are often praised by many tribes in the nutrition community as offering so many benefits, including reducing breast cancer, helping with bone strength, staving off hot-flashes, and increasing libido. This is mostly because they are 'natural' and because they come from plants. 

The other side of the coin, the Xenoestrogens are heavily demonized, receiving blame for much of the hormonal imbalance, brain fog, increased cancer rate, decreased fertility, and loss of libido rampant in todays society. 

Notice how the same type of chemical garners markedly different responses simply because of its origin.

Intriguing.

How could both sets of chemicals produce such radically different effects in the body. The answer is... they probably don't. The fact that the phytoestrogens seem to escape the vitriol poured on the synthetic xenoestrogens has more to do with the narrative people have chained themselves to that, "well plants have to be good" and "anything made synthetically is evil and probably causes cancer" than anything based in fact.

A telling quote from the paper Patisaul and Jefferson 2010 states “phytoestrogens are intriguing because, although they behave similarly to numerous synthetic compounds in laboratory models of endocrine disruption, society embraces these compounds at the same time it rejects, often with vigor, use of synthetic endocrine disruptors in household products.” 

Intriguing indeed. 

Whats more, the paper goes on to state referring to a specific case of phytoestrogens that, “As with many other compounds, like alcohol or caffeine, there are many pros and cons associated with moderate soy intake. Consumers should be aware that soy contains endocrine disrupting compounds and make dietary choices accordingly. For a typical consumer, alarm over soy products is likely unnecessary but so is the belief that a soy-rich diet will alleviate all ills.”

Makes a lot of sense and sounds quite reasonable, but man does it leave a lot to be desired. 

I think the problem is this. Most of us in the longevity field are searching for that singular insight, that magic bullet that really gives us the edge and unlocks the secret to a happier and healthier life. We also want it to be simple, like back of the napkin simple. "All I have to do is 'X' and I'll live a long happy life". Insert anything you like for X, a plant based diet, sleeping 10 hours, run a mile a day, take my NAD+, etc.

When the truth is more nuanced and convoluted the lack of clarity can be difficult.  

So, are phytoestrogens good and synthetic xenoestrogens evil, are they both good, are they both evil?

To be honest, I don't know.

There is still much research to be done. 

I can’t tell you the answer… but I can tell you when your pants are down, so that you can pull them up and we can move on to work together to find the answer.

Consider this craving for certainty as a part of the journey on the frontier of medicine. Just as suffering is an unavoidable part of life, so to is this dissatisfaction and the resulting crave to satisfy it in the frontier of medicine. However, just as suffering is always going to present, it doesn’t have to be all consuming. 

Patisaul HB, Jefferson W. The pros and cons of phytoestrogens. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2010 Oct;31(4):400-19. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.03.003. Epub 2010 Mar 27. PMID: 20347861; PMCID: PMC3074428.