Dr Greger advocates an SOS-Free diet without Salt, Oil and Sugar. Recipes in his cookbook "The How Not to Diet Cookbook" are salt-free but use miso for salty flavor. Dr Klaper is also okay with miso. I don't consume any miso myself.
What is Dr Greger's rationale for including miso in his recipes? Miso is made from soybeans fermented with salt. Research shows that the positive effects of soy counteract the negative effects of salt. See excerpts below.
We know dietary salt intake is directly associated with the risk of stomach cancer, and the higher the intake, the higher the risk. But researchers found there was no significant association with the consumption of miso soup. This may be because the carcinogenic effects of the salt in miso soup are counteracted by the anti-carcinogenic effects of the soy, effectively canceling out the risk.
What about miso soup and high blood pressure? Similar to the relationship between miso and cancer, the salt in miso pushes up our blood pressures, but miso’s soy protein may be relaxing them down.
So, maybe the anti-hypertensive effects of the soy in the miso exceed the hypertensive effects of the salt.
A systematic review of all soy and prostate cancer population studies to date confirmed that soy foods are associated with lower the risk, but that’s a relatively broad category. There are all sorts of soy foods. There are fermented soy foods, like miso and tempeh, and unfermented ones, like tofu and soy milk. Which are more protective? Researchers sifted through the studies, and it turns out that only the unfermented soy seemed to help. Tofu and soy milk consumption was associated with about a 30 percent reduction in risk, whereas there didn’t appear to be any protection linked to fermented soy foods.
Videos by Dr Greger:
(2021) Is Miso Healthy?
(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Miso is packed with sodium, which is linked to both stomach cancer and high blood pressure, so is it safe to consume?"
Yes, miso is healthy. But Dr Greger speculates that perhaps the carcinogenic effects of salt and the anti-carcinogenic effects of soy cancel each other out.
(2017, 7 mins) Eat Salt Without Raising Blood Pressure!
At offset 4:26, Dr Greger summarizes miso studies:
Interviewer: "I was really intrigued by a video of yours regarding miso and not increasing blood pressure. Is there a limit to the amount of miso that I can put into a dish? Obviously it gets really salty but is there a limit?"
Dr Greger: "As far as miso, the studies were done with these Japanese populations who are eating bowls of miso soup a day! That's a lot of miso. That's a lot of sodium. The two things we would worry about with excess sodium consumption is hypertension -- it's the number one risk factor for death in the world and then stomach cancer. But people that eat miso don't have higher blood pressures and don't have higher stomach cancer risk! So what we think is happening is that the protective benefits of the soy (whole soy foods) is counteracting the negative effects of the sodium! So say, it actually has a neutral beneficial effect. Now you say, "wait a second! Why not instead eat edamame or something to get all the soy benefits without the sodium negatives? Wouldn't that be even better?" Maybe. I mean it's a great way to add a salty taste to a dish without increasing disease risk.
Interviewer: "So the salt-oil-sugar free diets, you know, for a lot of people: salt is really hard to cut back on! They're really used to eating salt, including myself! If I just switch over to miso, am I fine? Is that what it means?"
Dr Greger: "That's what it means! That's how I make food salty. So you just add miso to dressings, to sauces, to anything you want!"
(2021) Fermented or Unfermented Soy Foods for Prostate Cancer Prevention?
(3 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Which appear more protective: fermented soy foods, such as miso and tempeh, or unfermented soy, like tofu and soy milk?" Excerpt:
A systematic review of all soy and prostate cancer population studies to date confirmed soy foods "could lower the risk." But that's kind of a broad category. There's all sorts of soy foods. There's fermented soy foods, like miso and tempeh, and unfermented foods, like tofu and soy milk. Which is more protective? Researchers sifted through the studies. And, it turns out that only the unfermented soy seemed to help. Tofu and soy milk consumption were associated with about a '30% reduction in risk, whereas there didn't appear to be any protection linked to fermented soy foods.
Dr Klaper
(2021) Miso Paste - Should We Be Concerned About The Salt?
Video summary:
Dr. Klaper offers nutrition advice about miso paste, fermented soy paste, and a favorite ingredient in Japanese food. Miso paste contains a fair amount of salt (sodium) and adds to your daily sodium intake. He says that the effects of eating soy help to dilate the blood vessels and do not increase blood pressure. In some cases eating miso paste can lower blood pressure. As long as it's in moderation, miso paste salt can be part of your healthy whole foods plant-based diet.
What Do I Do?
I don't use any miso. I am keen to maintain a healthy sodium to potassium ratio in my body. So my thinking is, "My taste buds are accustomed to SOS-Free recipes without any Salt, Oil and Sugar. Why make my meals salty and raise sodium levels in my body via miso?"
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