Editorial note: This article does not pertain to fermented fermented soy products like soy sauce.

(Mercola.com) -- In the early 1990's, soy and soy products exploded onto the supermarket scene with promises of bountiful health benefits.

This "new miracle food," soy, was supposed to lower cholesterol, take the heat out of hot flashes, protect against breast and prostate cancer and offer a filling alternative to earth-loving vegetarians.

The problem with these claims?

Most of them are false.

Sadly, most of what you have been led to believe by the media about soy is simply untrue.

The sudden upsurge in the recommendation of soy as a health food has been nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick to further reduce the cost and nutritional content of your food.

-- The majority of soy's health claims are false; fostered by clever marketing to further reduce the cost and nutritional content of your food

-- Ninety-four percent of all soy grown in the US is genetically engineered (GE), which virtually guarantees you're consuming GE soy when purchasing soy products and processed foods containing soy derivatives. Genetically engineered foods pose its own separate health risks, including hormone disruption and fertility problems

-- Soy derivatives can "hide" under a variety of different names, including mono-diglyceride, soya, soja, yuba, TSF (textured soy flour), TSP (textured soy protein), TVP (textured vegetable protein), lecithin, and MSG

-- Soy protein isolate can be found in protein bars, meal replacement shakes, bottled fruit drinks, soups and sauces, meat analogs, baked goods, breakfast cereals and dietary supplements. This hazardous ingredient has been linked to several troubling conditions, including diminished libido and erectile dysfunction

-- The only soy foods with health benefits are USDA certified 100% organic, traditionally fermented soy products such as tempeh, miso and natto

For you vegetarians out there staring at the screen in open-mouthed shock, fear not.

There are plenty of other healthy vegetarian alternatives.