Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 ----- Original Message ----- From: " Dave Rietz (DORway.com) " <dorietz@...> " Macdonald " <morgan@...> Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 6:40 AM Subject: Raw Milk > > ><http://westonaprice.org/>http://westonaprice.org/ > > The above " organization " is actually Sally Fallon, RAW milk proponent > who had a widely circulated anti-soy " article " that is so full of holes one > could drive a space shuttle though it. > > This Email contains three articles. Attached is > > Sally Fallon's ... The Third International Soy Symposium > > Included below are: > > Cohen's ... THE JOY OF SOY AND THE DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN > Townsend Letter .. They're Taking the Joy Out of Soy > > Since, as a layman, I am not qualified to expound on the finer points I > leave that to each reader. However, my observations and comments on Fallon > and " raw milk " follow... > > RE: Sally Fallon and her anti-soy agenda. > (See http://www.notmilk.com/sfallon.txt) > > I am not the expert (on anything)... just a cancer victim whose cancer > now grows three times more slowly with NO dairy in my diet. So, that one > (of 59) hormones in cow's milk is enough for me to consider the whole range > of dairy products and NOT a taste to die for. I miss all those tasty > goodies, a learned taste by the way... but living beats dying faster. > > As to the controversy between RAW and processed milk... it seems > ludicrous that the act of pasteurizing, which lowers the bacterial count > considerably, is less healthy than milk that has a full load of > bacteria. The fact that a temperature of 162 degrees for 15 seconds zaps > most of the vitamins is easily equated to the same " zapping " process > through cooking (boiling, baking, micro waving, frying, etc.). Does Ms. > Fallon use raw milk in any form for cooked meals (soups, etc.)? If Ms. > Fallon does not eat 100% RAW foods (those that contain milk or milk > products) I submit that she is a 100% hypocrite. > > Perhaps more germs can make a body more defensive (similar to vaccines) > ... but considering the risk I would consider that quite unwise. It IS > true that children who drink from/swim in polluted rivers (and survive) > tend to have fewer of certain types of problems. As happened during Viet > Nam, were an American to simply FALL into one of those polluted rivers it > was highly advisable (mandatory for military) to take a series of painful > hemoglobin shots to ward off diseases. To suggest the consumption of RAW > milk for its higher bacterial count, in order to build up resistance, is > little different than promoting the drinking of water from polluted rivers > for that same reason. > > For the most part this is my 64-year-old tenancy towards logic speaking. > > Aside from a few " in tact " vitamins in RAW milk, and many more live > bacteria, the only other differences might be fewer antibiotics and > associated somatic (PUS) cells. To the best of my knowledge there is > nothing in anything Ms. Fallon promotes to forbid the use of bovine growth > hormone shots to create MORE milk, or modern-day animals feeds composed of > ground up animal parts, half-used chicken poop, hormones and more. > > Perhaps the most obvious fallacy in Ms. Fallon's concept may well be if > she uses RAW cow's milk in any cooking or baking process. If so... such > use blows her whole argument! > > Sally Fallon and friends have an agenda... called RAW MILK. She has > several web sites... and the main push is to trash soy. ABC and many > others have a similar agenda: Save cow's MILK at all cost. > > Attached is her original " commentary " . Please note Sally Fallon's two > web sites: > > Sally Fallon (www.REALMILK.com) > Sally W Fallon (www.WESTONAPRICE.org) > > ****************** Cohen's comments on Fallon, RAW milk and soy > (http://www.notmilk.com/soyjoymsg.txt) > > THE JOY OF SOY AND THE DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN > > I've seen the " NEGATIVE " soy letter dozens of times. > Bashing soy has become an Internet phenomena, and > America's newest " URBAN MYTH. " > > Soy detractors cite a soy component, " phytoestrogen, " > as being an endocrine disrupter. In that case, broccoli is > an endocrine disrupter too. Caution: You may get > graped! Does an apple a day increase an oncologist's pay? > > Pyhtochemicals are the most wonderful disease-preventing > substances to be found in fresh fruits and vegetables. > These miracle substances are now recognized as > ammunition against cancer, diabetes, heart disease > osteoporosis, and other ailments. Phytochemicals are > what make peppers red or green. Phytochemicals are > what give oranges and cherries their sweet perfume-like > essences. In 1937, Albert Szent-Gyorgi discovered a > powerful group of antioxidants in foods which were > named bioflavinoids. These bioflavinoids have been > re-named phytoestrogens. They are not estrogen. > If you desire a source of dietary estrogen, take Premarin > (taken from the urine of pregnant horses) or consume > milk and dairy products. > > The soy disinformation campaign began with the dairy > industry. Milk producers process 170 billion pounds > of their product each year. Dairymen see SOY as a threat > to their livelihood. > > Last year, Sally Fallon wrote a column that appeared in > NEXUS magazine. Sally's personal website is: > > http://www.realmilk.com > > That should tell you something about her agenda. > > The February issue of the Townsend Medical Letter > for Doctors and Patients contains comments > addressing Sally's poorly written and biased paper. > Here are brief passages of Bill Sardi's editorial: > > Bill Sardi > Health Reporter > TOWNSEND MEDICAL LETTER > February, 2001 > Email: BSardi@... > http://www.tldp.com > > " It went from being the darling of the natural products > industry to being labeled as a potential toxin. > > Sally Fallon and E. Enig, from the Weston A. Price > Foundation in Washington DC, write in the April-May > edition of Nexus Magazine that soy contains anti-nutrients > and toxins, which inhibit digestion and block absorption > of vitamins and minerals. > > These self-appointed soy antagonists claim the enzyme > inhibitors in soy cause pancreatic cancer (not so), and that > other components in soy induce clumping of red blood cells. > > While Fallon and Enig acknowledge that the Japanese and > Asians have lower rates of breast, prostate and colon cancer > and that they eat 30 times more soy than North Americans, > they also indicate the Japanese have higher rates of other types > of cancer, particularly esophageal, stomach, thyroid, pancreas > and liver cancer. They give the misimpression that soy prevents > some tumors and promotes others. This just isn't an accurate > characterization. The stomach cancers in Japan are attributed to > the consumption of pickled, smoked and salted meats and fish > as well as raw sushi that may contain parasites. The frying of > meats promotes the development of carcinogens. The > cancer-promoting agents in these foods can actually be countered > by the inclusion of soy protein with ground meat prior to frying. > > [basic Life Science 52: 105-18, 1990] > > A hidden epidemic among males in Japan is that of alcoholism, as > well as rampant tobacco use, which would be likely causes of liver, > esophageal and stomach cancers. Instead, Fallon and Enig imply > that soy is a hidden carcinogen in Japan. > > Fallon and Enig cite 68 scientific references in their Nexus Magazine > report. The 40 scientific journal reports cited were published on > average 13 years ago, with many dating back to the 1970s. Among > the authoritative references listed in support of their report were > " Cheese Marketing News " and " Natural Health News published by > L & H Vitamin Company. " The Weston Price Foundation website, > of which Fallon is president, claims their purpose is to dispel health > myths. Yet a report on their own website indicates " the New Zealand > government is considering removing soy formula from the market > and making it available only by prescription, " and lists a citation > number #58. Their claim may be true, but when the reader looks > for the citation in the end notes, it is missing. So the reader has to > wonder why. It appears that Fallon and Enig are making a career > out of bashing soy, but are they backing up their opinions with > good science? > > Much of Fallon and Enig's criticism is generated from reports > on the use of soy infant formulas. In 1998, K.O. Klein of the > Department of Clinical Science at the A.I. duPont Hospital > for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, reported that soy-based > infant formulas had been used for over 60 years and fed to > millions of infants worldwide and studied in controlled research. > > Klein says the medical literature provides " no evidence of > endocrine effects in humans from infant consumption of modern > soy-based formulas. Growth is normal and no changes in timing > of puberty or in fertility rates have been reported in humans who > consumed soy formula as infants. " > > [Nutrition Reviews 56: 193-204, 1998] > > The Journal of Pediatrics also conducted an earlier study > that came to a similar conclusion. > > [Journal Pediatrics 124: 612-20, 1994] > > With no supporting evidence, Fallon and Enig state that learning > disabilities among male children have reached epidemic proportions > and that soy infant feeding, which began in the 1970s, " cannot be > ignored as a probable cause for these tragic developments. " > Yet no citations are listed to back up their claim. They go on to say > that one percent of all girls show signs of puberty before the age > of three and quote a 1997 report in the Journal of Pediatrics. > But that report makes no mention of soy. > > Fallon and Enig also make the claim that Asians have lower rates > of osteoporosis than Westerners, not because of soy consumption > but because their diet provides plenty of vitamin D from shrimp and > seafood and plenty of calcium from bone broths. They provide no > references for this claim. They go on to claim that high rates of > osteoporosis in Western society are attributed to the substitution > of soy oil for butter. They advocate butter as a traditional source > of vitamin D that helps to build strong bones. > > Butter only provides about 56 units of vitamin D, and shrimp about > 152 units of vitamin D per 100 gram serving, which are almost > insignificant according to the latest reports on the need for vitamin D. > > Skin exposure to sunlight is the primary source of vitamin D. Even > sunlight-deprived women who consume a diet that provides 600 > IU of vitamin D/day have been found to be lacking in this essential > nutrient. > > [Journal Internal Medicine 247: 260-68, 2000] > > Recent reports indicate blood levels of vitamin D don't even begin > to rise till 4000 IU of vitamin D is consumed. > > [American Journal Clinical Nutrition 69: 842-56, 1999] > > The textbooks need to be re-written for vitamin D, and Fallon and > Enig are using out-dated information. Furthermore, butter raises > cholesterol. > > [European Journal Clinical Nutrition 52: 650-54, 1998] > > The Federal Register, October 26, 1999, Volume 64, Number > 206, provides a 66-page discussion on the positive and negative > reports concerning soy and health in relation to the approval by > the Food & Drug Administration that soy protein helps to reduce > cardiovascular risk by lowering cholesterol. The report, written > by the Food & Drug Administration, cites 167 pertinent scientific > studies. > > According to an FDA scientific review, soy does not interfere > with childhood growth, does not cause pancreatic or breast > cancer, does not significantly interfere with mineral absorption > as long as dietary consumption is adequate, does not induce > early puberty, and does not interfere with fertility. There is a > consistent body of scientific evidence that soy protein consumption > results in a significant reduction in total and LDL cholesterol for > those whose cholesterol is elevated (above 250 mg per deciliter > blood sample). Approximately 25 grams of soy is needed to > produce this health benefit. " > > (You are invited to read an excellent Guest article recently published in > the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients.... a very well respected > medical journal. ... Guest Editorial - They're Taking the Joy Out of Soy > http://www.notmilk.com/tldpsoy.txt) > > ************ Now for the Bill Sardi Townsend article > (http://tldp.com/issue/11_00/joysoy.htm) > > Guest Editorial > > They're Taking the Joy Out of Soy > > Does soy shrink the brain? Leave you anemic? Promote rather than prevent > cancer? Interfere with your thyroid hormones? Is soy a toxin, a food or a > drug? If you eat soy, look out, here come the soy bashers. And you won't > believe who they are. > > By Bill Sardi, Health Reporter > Knowledge of Health, Inc. May 2000 > Copyright 2000 > > It went from being the darling of the natural products industry to being > labeled as a potential toxin. Not even a year ago it was heralded in Time > Magazine as the bean that brought down cholesterol and the risk of heart > disease. Time Magazine said the Food & Drug Administration was soon to > approve a health claim for soy protein - that it reduced cholesterol for > people with elevated fatty plaque levels in their blood circulation. Just > 1.5 ounces of soy, said Time, can lower both total and LDL " bad " cholesterol > levels. [The Joy of Soy, Time Magazine, June 7, 1999] > > What a joy, that soy, a natural food product, would gain such credibility > that the FDA would grant a health claim for it. It was time for a soy > festival. The normally pro-pharmaceutical FDA had finally succumbed to the > reality that foods are a good way to prevent and even cure disease. The FDA > says scientific studies confirm that 25 grams of soy has a significant > cholesterol-lowering effect.* There was an asterisk attached to the FDA > announcement however (see below). A soy burger has 9 to 18 grams, and soy > milk about 4 to 9 grams of soy protein, according to the Soyfoods > Association of North America. The cardiovascular health claim was issued > October 26, 1999. [FDA T99-48 Talk Paper] > > Just a relatively short time ago soy was considered a yucky un-American > food. But today two-thirds of American consumers now believe it is healthy > to consume soy, which is a big jump from the 14% who felt so in 1997. Soy > sales were over $1 billion in 1997 and are expected to soon jump over the $2 > billion mark. Health Products Business Magazine reports that the number of > new soy beverages is growing at an astounding pace. More soy, more soy! > > But no sooner had the FDA approved a cardiovascular health claim for soy > protein than the critics came out of the woodwork, and not from places one > would expect. The greatest criticism of soy has come from natural health > advocates themselves. Hold up on that soy protein bar, the tofu scramble and > the soy milk. You might come down with Alzheimer's disease, your growing > children may shows premature signs of puberty, your thyroid gland may > malfunction and your body may not be able to absorb essential minerals, > according to reports on soy now circulating in natural health publications. > > It took less than a month from the date of the issuance of a soy health > claim for a bombshell to hit the soy industry. On November 19, 1999, the > Honolulu Star Bulletin reported on a study conducted by Lon White, MD, MPH, > formerly of the National Institute on Aging and now with the Pacific Health > Research Institute, in Hawaii. Dr. White and his colleagues indicated tofu > (processed bean curd) could induce " brain aging. " Just two servings per week > could be harmful said the subheadline. The newspaper report was generated > from an abstract of a presentation at the Third International Symposium on > the role of soy in Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease. [Journal > American College of Nutrition 19: 242, 2000] Data from that report linked > tofu consumption with Alzheimer's disease and low brain weight upon autopsy. > [http://starbulletin.com/1999/11/19/news/story4.html] > > By April 29 of this year, Fox News published its version of the soy debate, > acknowledging that soy products like tofu and tempeh have " moved out of the > vegetarian ghetto, " but also warned that some experts claimed that " soy can > mimic powerful human hormones and yield unpredictable results. " The wind was > changing. Was the soybean craze just a fad? Fox News quoted Dr. Lon White as > saying that soy isoflavones, one of the active hormonal ingredients in soy, > are " true drugs that are sold without warning. " [Fox News April 29, 2000] > > Zava, PhD, a biochemist, chimes in on the anti-soy bandwagon in the > www.LeeMD.com newsletter. A specialist in breast cancer, Zava accurately > points out that occasional soy consumption is probably the best course to > get the benefits out of soy without any undesirable side effects. But he, > unfairly and inaccurately characterizes some of the components of soy as > being nothing short of poison. Zava says soy contains allergens, mineral > blockers, enzyme inhibitors, hormone modifiers, and iodine blockers that > interfere with normal thyroid function. Zava says soy is a medicine in > moderation and a potential poison in excess. [www.johnleemd.com] The wording > is alarming. Soy is beginning to be compared to hemlock. > > Sally Fallon and E. Enig, from the Weston A. Price Foundation in > Washington DC, write in the April-May edition of Nexus Magazine and the July > and August/September issues of TLfDP that soy is not a perfect food (nobody > said it was). They repeat claims that it contains anti-nutrients and toxins, > which inhibit digestion block and absorption of vitamins and minerals. > Fallon and Enig believe most of the information consumers read about soy is > " propaganda. " > > They say, until a few decades ago, soy was considered unfit to eat, even in > Asia. These self-appointed soy antagonists claim the enzyme inhibitors in > soy cause pancreatic cancer (not so), and that other components in soy > induce clumping of red blood cells. They admit most of the growth- > depressants in soy are removed in processing and fermentation, but not > completely eliminated. The very interest in soy for cancer prevention > emanates from its ability to thwart growth of tumors. > > While Fallon and Enig acknowledge that the Japanese and Asians have lower > rates of breast, prostate and colon cancer and that they eat 30 times more > soy than North Americans, they also indicate the Japanese have higher rates > of other types of cancer, particularly esophageal, stomach, thyroid, > pancreas and liver cancer. They give the misimpression that soy prevents > some tumors and promotes others. This just isn't an accurate > characterization. The stomach cancers in Japan are attributed to the > consumption of pickled, smoked and salted meats and fish as well as raw > sushi that may contain parasites. The frying of meats promotes the > development of carcinogens. The cancer-promoting agents in these foods can > actually be countered by the inclusion of soy protein with ground meat prior > to frying. [basic Life Science 52: 105-18, 1990] A hidden epidemic among > males in Japan is that of alcoholism, as well as rampant tobacco use, which > would be likely causes of liver, esophageal and stomach cancers. Instead, > Fallon and Enig imply that soy is a hidden carcinogen in Japan. > > Fallon and Enig cite the work of Mark Messina, author of The Simple Soybean > and Your Health (Avery Publishing 1994], who reviewed 26 animal studies at > the Third International Soy Symposium. According to Messina, 65% of these > studies confirm the protective properties of soy against cancer. Fallon and > Enig claim that Messina purposely left out a 1985 study by Rackis which > showed that soy increases the risk of pancreatic cancer in rats. [Advances > Experimental Medicine Biology 199: 33-79, 1986] At a workshop conducted by > the National Cancer Institute, researchers pointed out that the pancreas of > a few species of animals, notably rats and chicks, are extraordinarily > sensitive to dietary protease inhibitors as found in soy. This effect has > not been demonstrated in other species such as hamsters, mice, dogs, pigs, > and monkeys and is " not expected to occur in humans, " says the report. Human > populations that consume high levels of soy exhibit decreased rates of > pancreatic cancer. [Cancer Research 49: 499-502, 1989] While the enzyme > (protease) inhibitors in soy protein increase the weight of the pancreas, > they do not appear to produce lesions, abnormal growths or DNA abnormalities > among rats. [Journal Nutrition 117: 247-52, 1987] > > One wonders why Fallon and Enig included in their anti-soy epitaph the story > of New Zealand bird breeders and . The ' > apparently purchased a new type of bird food that contained soy, which made > their birds sick, impaired their fertility and changed the coloring of their > feathers. The ' related these symptoms of illness to those of their > young children, who had been fed soy-based formula. The flock of birds under > their care was restored to health by the elimination of the soy-based bird > food. But heavens, you don't see birds naturally eating soybeans. They know > better. It's obvious the ' knew less about bird feed than their > feathered pets! That the ' children were intolerant to soy and may have > had soy allergy, or that they may have had health problems unrelated to soy, > serve as more likely explanations. > > Fallon and Enig go on to quote Dr. Claude ' animal research concerning > soy isoflavones and thyroid function. claims his work will be > " somewhat predictive of what occurs in humans. " But there are differences > between animal and human studies, particularly when it comes to soy. > Scientists cannot infer that animal data applies to humans. Remember > Thalidomide, the drug that caused all the birth defects in Europe? The data > on that drug checked out on animals, but among pregnant women interfered > with their offspring's development. > > Fallon and Enig cite 68 scientific references in their Nexus Magazine > report. The 40 scientific journal reports cited were published on average 13 > years ago, with many dating back to the 1970s. Among the authoritative > references listed in support of their report were " Cheese Marketing News " > and " Natural Health News published by L & H Vitamin Company. " The Weston > Price Foundation website, of which Fallon is president, claims their purpose > is to dispel health myths. Yet a report on their own website indicates " the > New Zealand government is considering removing soy formula from the market > and making it available only by prescription, " and lists a citation number > #58. Their claim may be true, but when the reader looks for the citation in > the end notes, it is missing. So the reader has to wonder why. It appears > that Fallon and Enig are making a career out of bashing soy, but are they > backing up their opinions with good science? > > Much of Fallon and Enig's criticism is generated from reports on the use of > soy infant formulas. In 1998, K.O. Klein of the Department of Clinical > Science at the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, > reported that soy-based infant formulas had been used for over 60 years and > fed to millions of infants worldwide and studied in controlled research. > Klein says the medical literature provides " no evidence of endocrine effects > in humans from infant consumption of modern soy-based formulas. Growth is > normal and no changes in timing of puberty or in fertility rates have been > reported in humans who consumed soy formula as infants. " [Nutrition Reviews > 56: 193-204, 1998] The Journal of Pediatrics also conducted an earlier study > that came to a similar conclusion. [Journal Pediatrics 124: 612-20, 1994] > > With no supporting evidence, Fallon and Enig state that learning > disabilities among male children have reached epidemic proportions and that > soy infant feeding, which began in the 1970s, " cannot be ignored as a > probable cause for these tragic developments. " Yet no citations are listed > to back up their claim. They go on to say that one percent of all girls show > signs of puberty before the age of three and quote a 1997 report in the > Journal of Pediatrics. But that report makes no mention of soy. > > Fallon and Enig also make the claim that Asians have lower rates of > osteoporosis than Westerners, not because of soy consumption but because > their diet provides plenty of vitamin D from shrimp and seafood and plenty > of calcium from bone broths. They provide no references for this claim. They > go on to claim that high rates of osteoporosis in Western society are > attributed to the substitution of soy oil for butter. They advocate butter > as a traditional source of vitamin D that helps to build strong bones. > > Butter only provides about 56 units of vitamin D, and shrimp about 152 units > of vitamin D per 100 gram serving, which are almost insignificant according > to the latest reports on the need for vitamin D. [uS Department of > Agriculture data] Skin exposure to sunlight is the primary source of vitamin > D. Even sunlight-deprived women who consume a diet that provides 600 IU of > vitamin D/day have been found to be lacking in this essential nutrient. > [Journal Internal Medicine 247: 260-68, 2000] Recent reports indicate blood > levels of vitamin D don't even begin to rise till 4000 IU of vitamin D is > consumed. [American Journal Clinical Nutrition 69: 842-56, 1999] The > textbooks need to be re-written for vitamin D, and Fallon and Enig are using > out-dated information. Furthermore, butter raises cholesterol. [European > Journal Clinical Nutrition 52: 650-54, 1998] > > Did all of these negative scientific reports on soy somehow escape the > attention of the FDA reviewers? Is the FDA run by individuals who are > completely beholden to commercial interests? The Federal Register, October > 26, 1999, Volume 64, Number 206, provides a 66-page discussion on the > positive and negative reports concerning soy and health in relation to the > approval by the Food & Drug Administration that soy protein helps to reduce > cardiovascular risk by lowering cholesterol. The report, written by the Food > & Drug Administration, cites 167 pertinent scientific studies. > > According to an FDA scientific review, soy does not interfere with childhood > growth, does not cause pancreatic or breast cancer, does not significantly > interfere with mineral absorption as long as dietary consumption is > adequate, does not induce early puberty, and does not interfere with > fertility. Soy may induce allergies, but that is not sufficient reason to > ban it from the marketplace. Epidemiological studies do not confirm that soy > accelerates the rate or incidence of brain aging nor does soy increase the > prevalence of thyroid disorders. There is a consistent body of scientific > evidence that soy protein consumption results in a significant reduction in > total and LDL cholesterol for those whose cholesterol is elevated (above 250 > mg per deciliter blood sample).* Approximately 25 grams of soy is needed to > produce this health benefit. This is the asterisk noted earlier in this > report. Soy doesn't lower cholesterol among individuals with normal blood > fats. > > It's not like soy hasn't been investigated thoroughly. Health reporter Jack > Challem notes that in a three-year period from 1996-98, over 1000 articles > on soy isoflavones were published in medical journals. But once the gate was > opened for a health claim for soy (cholesterol reduction), the rest of the > still-to-be-confirmed health claims were ushered in. Some scientific reports > indicate soy can reduce hot flashes among menopausal females, promote bone > formation and may reduce the risk of cancer. Consumers are likely to think > that if a little bit of soy is OK, then more is even better. > > The natural health gurus are correct on one point. Soy is being over- > promoted by billion-dollar companies that grow the beans. Estrogenic > compounds are found in other natural foods such as alfalfa sprouts and > sunflower seeds, but they aren't being aggressively marketed by multi- > national agricultural companies. One of these corporate giants uses shill > companies as a front to their soy promotion efforts so as to hide their > involvement. The United Soybean Board works more openly to get more soy into > the diets of school lunch programs. [www.soyfoods.com] Because the FDA > approved soy as a healthy food that reduces cholesterol among adults with > high blood fats is no reason to promote it as an alternative source of > protein for growing children. Its growth inhibitors and mineral chelators > aren't ideally appropriate for children. > > But to show you how confusing the debate on soy gets, consider the following > two quotations from health experts: > > On December 9, 1999, Doctor's Guide on the internet reported that there is > no clear-cut evidence that estrogens from plants such as soy actually > prevent breast cancer. Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, Chairman of the Department > of Nutrition and Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard School > of Public Health in Boston said " a few studies even found that phyto (plant) > estrogens promote cancer. We do not know if plant estrogens increase or > decrease risk. " > > Yet Herman Adlercreutz MD of the University of Helsinki says there is " no > evidence in the literature suggesting that phytoestrogens, present in > amounts found in human foods, could have biological effects, or stimulate > already existing cancer, and there is also no evidence that such > phytoestrogens could initiate cancer. " [ls of Medicine 29: 95-120, 1997] > > > So what are we to conclude? Soy does/doesn't, prevent cancer. With that kind > of doubt being created on its cancer prevention benefits, and its safety > being clouded by reports that allege soy causes brain disease, one wonders > if consumers will even feed soy to their pets. Who knows, some > environmentalists may soon ask for the soy toxin to be removed from garbage > dumps. > > Who is behind the scenes in the soy debate? Who can profit? Pharmaceutical > companies don't like the idea of a food competing with the patented hormone > blockers, like raloxifene and Tamoxifen. In the September 1998 issue of > Nutrition Science News, health reporter Jack Challem notes that tamoxifen > and raloxifene reduce the risk of breast cancer but tamoxifen increases the > risk of endometrial cancer and blood clots in the lungs, and with raloxifene > are more likely to suffer from hot flashes and leg cramps. Tamoxifen > increases the risk of going blind from cataracts by about 400%. [American > Journal Ophthalmology 125: 493-501, 1995] > > Let's see if we can make some sense of the soy debate. > > 1. The reason why soy gained the attention of Western health researchers is > because the American diet is almost completely devoid of phytoestrogens. > Hormones can get out of balance, and hyperthyroid and over-production of > estrogen can produce symptoms and pose health problems as much as low > hormone levels. A small amount of plant estrogens in the diet may act as > hormone controlling agents. > > 2. Like any food, soy may induce allergies. So does cow's milk, eggs, wheat, > corn and fish. But nobody is warning the public away from these foods. > > 3. While mother's milk is widely promoted for newborns, when baby needs to > be weaned, cow's milk or soy-milk formulas are often relied upon. Cow's milk > appears to result in superior bone mineral content, but soy formula appears > to produce similar bone mineral content to breast milk. [Journal Pediatrics > 113: 205-07, 1988; Journal Pediatrics 110: 687-92, 1987] Soy milk formula > appears to produce similar weight gain (growth rates) as produced with cow's > milk formula in young infants. [Pediatric Research 15: 1240-44, 1981] Soy > infant formulas can be modified to suspend minerals and thus improve bone > mineral content. Modified soy formula has been shown to improve bone mineral > content among infants comparable to cow's milk formula. [American Journal > Diseases Children 146: 1302-05, 1992] > > For infants who are allergic to cow's milk, soy milk is the alternative of > choice. But even one in four allergic infants have problems tolerating soy > formula. Better to look into whey milk formulas. Whey milk is probably > superior to soy milk when it comes to minimizing allergic reactions among > infants. [Arerugi 46: 1044-51, 1997] In one study 84-99% of infants who were > allergic to cow's milk were able to consume whey protein formula without > allergic reaction. [Journal Pediatric Gastroenterology Nutrition 26: 398- > 401, 1998] In another study, whey milk formula reduced the incidence of > allergy among 6-month old infants by over 5 times compared to cow's milk. > [European Journal Pediatrics 154: 488-94, 1995] Furthermore, whey appears to > produce the same growth rates as cow's milk. [Allergy 51: 192-95, 1996] > > 4. Some of the components of soy have been mistakenly identified as anti- > nutrients. For example, IP6-phytic acid, the primary mineral chelator in > soy, was branded as an anti-nutrient because it blocks mineral absorption. > Minerals, particularly iron, calcium and zinc, are important during > childhood growth. It is easy to improve iron absorption in soy infant > formulas by adding some vitamin C. [Pediatric Research 36: 816-22, 1994] But > adults tend to over-mineralize as they grow older. The threat of iron > overload is universal in male adults and postmenopausal females. Calcium > tends to accumulate in the joints (arthritis), heart valves (mitral valve), > kidneys (kidney stones), blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and lens of the eye > (cataracts) with advancing age. So there is a need for dietary mineral > chelators, to prevent calcifications and iron-induced oxidation in living > human tissues, particularly with advancing age. In 1987 Ernst Graf, PhD, was > the first to describe IP6-phytic acid, found in whole grains and nuts, as a > potent antioxidant and mineral chelator. It is the only antioxidant known > that can completely counter the adverse effect posed by the hydroxyl > radical, a free radical species involved in all cancers. [The Lancet, > September 19, 1987] Most soy protein products already have undergone > processing to remove most of the IP6-phytic acid anyway. [Acta Paediatrica > 402: 105-08, 1994] The removal of IP6-phytic acid from soy increases iron > absorption. [American Journal Clinical Nutrition 60: 567-72, 1994] > > The IP6-phytic acid in soy has been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer > in an animal study via its ability to chelate iron. [Proceedings Society > Experimental Biology & Medicine 221: 80-86, 1999] The IP6-phytic acid in soy > may be the primary ingredient that helps to control cholesterol. [Journal > Nutrition 125: 606-611S- 1995] > > IP6-phytic acid is not only found in soy, it is provided in other whole > grains, particularly bran. But no one is proposing that bran is toxic > because of its IP6-phytic acid content. Cow's milk (probably due to its > lactoferrin content), and eggs also tend to decrease the bioavailability of > iron from plant foods. [Federal Proceedings 42: 1716-20, 1983] > > The primary reason why adults do not get enough of some minerals with > advancing age is the diminished production of hydrochloric acid, not the > inclusion of IP6-phytic acid in whole grains and soy. [Advances Experimental > Biology Medicine 249: 173-84, 1989] Soybean compounds such as IP6-phytic > acid, protease inhibitors and isoflavones, among others, appear to reduce > the incidence of colon, prostate and breast cancer. [Journal Nutrition 125: > 733-743S, 1995] > > 5. Why get so bothered about soy? Indeed, spices such as thyme, oregano and > turmeric bind with estrogen or progesterone and are thus known to be hormone > blockers. [Proceedings Society Experimental Biology Medicine 21: 369-78, > 1998] Even though the American diet is said to be lacking in soy > phytoestrogens, beer contains significant amounts of isoflavones (probably > from hops). [steroids 63: 14-20, 1998] > > 6. Science backs the consumption of soy protein and/or soy extracts > (phytoestrogen-isoflavones) for males with prostate tumors. In immune- > depressed rodents whose prostate glands were inoculated with human cancer > cells, soy significantly reduced the size of tumors and the number of blood > vessels that feed tumors. [Journal Nutrition 129: 1628-35, 1999] > > 7. There is a great difference between animal and human studies. Soybean > cereal has been shown to interfere with the growth of young rodents. > [Medicina 59: 747-52, 1999] But in infants, there was no difference noted in > weight gain nor pancreatic enzyme production when fed soy or a whey protein > formula. [scandinavian Journal Gastroenterology 32: 273-77, 1997] Be wary of > so-called experts who only quote animal data to support their claims that > soy is toxic or unhealthful. > > 8. The fact that isoflavones in soy are reduced significantly by their first > pass through the liver following ingestion, limits their hormonal effects, > particularly on children. [Proceedings Experimental Biology Medicine 217: > 386-92, 1998] Recent data shows that neither soy, nor soy isoflavones, exert > estrogenic effects on vaginal tissues in postmenopausal females. [Journal > Clinical Endocrinology 84: 3479-84, 1999] In monkeys, soy phytoestrogens > reduced cholesterol but did not affect the reproductive hormones. [Journal > Nutrition 126: 43-50, 1996] > > 9. A recent study conducted among 31 patients with high cholesterol, who > were provided 33 grams per day of soy protein (providing 86 mg of > isoflavones), reveals that LDL " bad " cholesterol levels were significantly > reduced even among subjects who were already taking vitamin E supplements > (400-800 IU). The soy protein did not increase the risk of hormone-induced > cancers. [Metabolism 49: 537-43, 2000] > > 10. Soy is a known goiterogen. It may interfere with iodine, a trace mineral > required for thyroid function. [biochemical Pharmacology 54: 1087-96, 1997] > Infants with congenital low thyroid output, when placed on soy formula, need > to have their thyroxine dose increased. [Journal American College Nutrition > 16: 280-82, 1997] Infants with normal thyroid output need not be concerned. > But adults who are on thyroid hormone replacement would be wise to review > their consumption of soy with their physician and to be aware of symptoms > such as fatigue and loss of hair, which may occur with low thyroid. > > 11. What about the link between brain shrinkage and soy consumption? Dr. Lon > White MD, the lead researcher who reported this link, compromised his own > credibility when he was quoted as saying: " Those who ate a lot of tofu, by > the time they were 75 or 80 looked five years older. " Tell us Dr. White, did > you count the wrinkles? We await corroborative research studies. > > 12. Holt, MD, writing in Natural Pharmacy, has done the best job of > sorting out information about soy. He says soy protein should be > distinguished from the soy extracts or isoflavones. Consumption of up to 120 > milligrams of soy isoflavones from soy foods should not be considered > worrisome. He says phytoestrogens in soy are far weaker than the potent > synthetic or natural estrogens commonly prescribed to women for menopause > symptoms. But he does caution against excessive consumption of soy > isoflavones in food supplements or from fermented sources (tempeh, miso) > which Fallon and Enig advocate. His guess is no more than 45 milligrams of > conjugated isoflavones from fermented or supplmental sources daily. [Natural > Pharmacy, April 2000] > > While soy has gained the most attention because it is backed by powerful > agribusiness, its cousin lignan may soon become a more desirable > phytoestrogen. Herman Adlercreutz, one of the world's top isoflavone > researchers, emphasizes the importance of other phytoestrogens. " Don't > forget the lignans, " he says. [Nutrition Science News, September 1998] We > can see why researchers are turning their attention to lignan. > > Lignan is a normal component of the diet, albeit it is only consumed in > small amounts. It is a phytoestrogen that does not interfere with thyroid > function. Lignan is most abundant in flaxseed. Lignans in flaxseed have been > compared to Tamoxifen, a hormone-blocking drug often prescribed in cases of > breast cancer. [Cancer Letters 125: 69-76, 1998] Adlercreutz says the areas > of the world where consumption of isoflavones and lignans are high have low > rates of prostate, breast and colon cancer. Animal experiments confirm that > lignans and isoflavones prevent cancer in blood vessel disease. [ls > Medicine 29: 95-120, 1997] When rates of disease are investigated by the > type of phytoestrogen, both isoflavones derived from soy, and lignans found > in flaxseed, whole-grain rye bread, berries and some vegetables, are > attributed to the reduction in breast, prostate and colon cancer. Where > consumption of lignan is low (USA, Finland, Sweden, Australia) breast cancer > levels are high. [baillieres Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism 12: 605-23, > 1998] > > In one study prostate tumor cells were injected into rodents who were placed > on different diets. Only 50% of the sites injected with tumor cells grew > tumors among the animals on soy, and only 30% of injection sites exhibited > tumors among the animals that consumed lignan-rich rye bran. The tumors that > did grow were smaller in the animals consuming soy and rye bran and there > was less secretion of prostate specific antigen (PSA). The addition of fat > to the rye bran diet reduced its protective effect against prostate cancer. > [Prostate 42: 304-14, 2000] > > In a study where rodents were given a tumor-promoting agent, a diet enriched > in soy did not reduce the number of colon tumors (1.38 tumors per animal) > compared to a diet low in soy isoflavones (1.36 tumors per animals. But a > lignan-rich rye bran diet did reduce the number of tumors! (0.17 tumors per > animal). [Carcinogenesis 20: 927-31, 1999] > > Summary > > Soy is not hemlock. It is not a toxin, nor does it contain toxins. Soy is > like table salt. Overuse can be troublesome. Learn to use it sparingly. If > you are looking for lignans in your diet, throw in some flaxseeds, or cold- > pressed lignan-rich flaxseed oil. Lignan may soon create a greater stir > among health advocates than soy. > > Correspondence: > Bill Sardi > Health Reporter > Knowledge of Health > Email: BSardi@... > > Copyright© Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. > > http://www.tldp.com > tldp@... > Phone 360-385-6021 > Fax 360-385-0699 > > ***************** > > Of note... among other things one phytoestrogen is NOT the animal > hormone estrogen... and real milk has 58 OTHER hormones. > > Regards... > > Dave Rietz, WEBmaster and cancer victim > fighting for ALL of us on my nickle. > > http://www.notmilk.com http://www.dorway.com http://www.dorway.org > > milkinfo@... overview on milk/dairy > nmflyer@... milk/dairy flyer > aspartame@... overview on aspartame (Equal/Nutrasweet) > msg@... overview on MSG ( " flavor enhancer " ) > The Third International Soy Symposium Far from being the perfect food, modern soy products contain antinutrients and toxins and they interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 7, Number 3 (April-May 2000). PO Box 30, Mapleton Qld 4560 Australia. editor@... Telephone: +61 (0)7 5442 9280; Fax: +61 (0)7 5442 9381 >From our web page at: www.nexusmagazine.com © 2000 by Sally Fallon SAFallon@... & G. Enig, PhD MGEnig@... All rights reserved " Each year, research on the health effects of soy and soybean components seems to increase exponentially. Furthermore, research is not just expanding in the primary areas under investigation, such as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis; new findings suggest that soy has potential benefits that may be more extensive than previously thought. " So writes Mark Messina, PhD, General Chairperson of the Third International Soy Symposium, held in Washington, DC, in November 1999.(1) For four days, well-funded scientists gathered in Washington made presentations to an admiring press and to their sponsors - United Soybean Board, American Soybean Association, Monsanto, Protein Technologies International, Central Soya, Cargill Foods, Personal Products Company, SoyLife, Whitehall-Robins Healthcare and the soybean councils of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota. The symposium marked the apogee of a decade-long marketing campaign to gain consumer acceptance of tofu, soy milk, soy ice cream, soy cheese, soy sausage and soy derivatives, particularly soy isoflavones like genistein and diadzen, the oestrogen-like compounds found in soybeans. It coincided with a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision, announced on October 25, 1999, to allow a health claim for products " low in saturated fat and cholesterol " that contain 6.25 grams of soy protein per serving. Breakfast cereals, baked goods, convenience food, smoothie mixes and meat substitutes could now be sold with labels touting benefits to cardiovascular health, as long as these products contained one heaping teaspoon of soy protein per 100-gram serving. MARKETING THE PERFECT FOOD " Just imagine you could grow the perfect food. This food not only would provide affordable nutrition, but also would be delicious and easy to prepare in a variety of ways. It would be a healthful food, with no saturated fat. In fact, you would be growing a virtual fountain of youth on your back forty. " The author is Dean Houghton, writing for The Furrow,(2) a magazine published in 12 languages by Deere. " This ideal food would help prevent, and perhaps reverse, some of the world's most dreaded diseases. You could grow this miracle crop in a variety of soils and climates. Its cultivation would build up, not deplete, the land...this miracle food already exists... It's called soy. " Just imagine. Farmers have been imagining - and planting more soy. What was once a minor crop, listed in the 1913 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) handbook not as a food but as an industrial product, now covers 72 million acres of American farmland. Much of this harvest will be used to feed chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows and salmon. Another large fraction will be squeezed to produce oil for margarine, shortenings and salad dressings. Advances in technology make it possible to produce isolated soy protein from what was once considered a waste product - the defatted, high-protein soy chips - and then transform something that looks and smells terrible into products that can be consumed by human beings. Flavourings, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers and synthetic nutrients have turned soy protein isolate, the food processors' ugly duckling, into a New Age Cinderella. The new fairy-tale food has been marketed not so much for her beauty but for her virtues. Early on, products based on soy protein isolate were sold as extenders and meat substitutes - a strategy that failed to produce the requisite consumer demand. The industry changed its approach. " The quickest way to gain product acceptability in the less affluent society, " said an industry spokesman, " is to have the product consumed on its own merit in a more affluent society. " (3) So soy is now sold to the upscale consumer, not as a cheap, poverty food but as a miracle substance that will prevent heart disease and cancer, whisk away hot flushes, build strong bones and keep us forever young. The competition - meat, milk, cheese, butter and eggs - has been duly demonised by the appropriate government bodies. Soy serves as meat and milk for a new generation of virtuous vegetarians. Marketing costs money, especially when it needs to be bolstered with " research " , but there's plenty of funds available. All soybean producers pay a mandatory assessment of one-half to one per cent of the net market price of soybeans. The total - something like US$80 million annually(4) - supports United Soybean's program to " strengthen the position of soybeans in the marketplace and maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets for uses for soybeans and soybean products " . State soybean councils from land, Nebraska, Delaware, Arkansas, Virginia, North Dakota and Michigan provide another $2.5 million for " research " .(5) Private companies like Archer s Midland also contribute their share. ADM spent $4.7 million for advertising on Meet the Press and $4.3 million on Face the Nation during the course of a year.(6) Public relations firms help convert research projects into newspaper articles and advertising copy, and law firms lobby for favourable government regulations. IMF money funds soy processing plants in foreign countries, and free trade policies keep soybean abundance flowing to overseas destinations. The push for more soy has been relentless and global in its reach. Soy protein is now found in most supermarket breads. It is being used to transform " the humble tortilla, Mexico's corn-based staple food, into a protein-fortified 'super-tortilla' that would give a nutritional boost to the nearly 20 million Mexicans who live in extreme poverty " .(7) Advertising for a new soy-enriched loaf from Allied Bakeries in Britain targets menopausal women seeking relief from hot flushes. Sales are running at a quarter of a million loaves per week.(8) The soy industry hired Norman Associates, a public relations firm, to " get more soy products onto school menus " .(9) The USDA responded with a proposal to scrap the 30 per cent limit for soy in school lunches. The NuMenu program would allow unlimited use of soy in student meals. With soy added to hamburgers, tacos and lasagna, dieticians can get the total fat content below 30 per cent of calories, thereby conforming to government dictates. " With the soy-enhanced food items, students are receiving better servings of nutrients and less cholesterol and fat. " Soy milk has posted the biggest gains, soaring from $2 million in 1980 to $300 million in the US last year.10 Recent advances in processing have transformed the grey, thin, bitter, beany-tasting Asian beverage into a product that Western consumers will accept - one that tastes like a milkshake, but without the guilt. Processing miracles, good packaging, massive advertising and a marketing strategy that stresses the products' possible health benefits account for increasing sales to all age groups. For example, reports that soy helps prevent prostate cancer have made soy milk acceptable to middle-aged men. " You don't have to twist the arm of a 55- to 60-year-old guy to get him to try soy milk, " says Mark Messina. Milken, former junk bond financier, has helped the industry shed its hippie image with well- publicised efforts to consume 40 grams of soy protein daily. America today, tomorrow the world. Soy milk sales are rising in Canada, even though soy milk there costs twice as much as cow's milk. Soybean milk processing plants are sprouting up in places like Kenya.(11) Even China, where soy really is a poverty food and whose people want more meat, not tofu, has opted to build Western-style soy factories rather than develop western grasslands for grazing animals.(12) CINDERELLA'S DARK SIDE The propaganda that has created the soy sales miracle is all the more remarkable because, only a few decades ago, the soybean was considered unfit to eat - even in Asia. During the Chou Dynasty (1134 - 246 BC) the soybean was designated one of the five sacred grains, along with barley, wheat, millet and rice. However, the pictograph for the soybean, which dates from earlier times, indicates that it was not first used as a food; for whereas the pictographs for the other four grains show the seed and stem structure of the plant, the pictograph for the soybean emphasizes the root structure. Agricultural literature of the period speaks frequently of the soybean and its use in crop rotation. Apparently the soy plant was initially used as a method of fixing nitrogen.(13) The soybean did not serve as a food until the discovery of fermentation techniques, some time during the Chou Dynasty. The first soy foods were fermented products like tempeh, natto, miso and soy sauce. At a later date, possibly in the 2nd century BC, Chinese scientists discovered that a purée of cooked soybeans could be precipitated with calcium sulphate or magnesium sulphate (plaster of Paris or Epsom salts) to make a smooth, pale curd -tofu or bean curd. The use of fermented and precipitated soy products soon spread to other parts of the Orient, notably Japan and Indonesia. The Chinese did not eat unfermented soybeans as they did other legumes such as lentils because the soybean contains large quantities of natural toxins or " antinutrients " . First among them are potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion. These inhibitors are large, tightly folded proteins that are not completely deactivated during ordinary cooking. They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer.(14) Soybeans also contain haemagglutinin, a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together. Trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinin are growth inhibitors. Weanling rats fed soy containing these antinutrients fail to grow normally. Growth- depressant compounds are deactivated during the process of fermentation, so once the Chinese discovered how to ferment the soybean, they began to incorporate soy foods into their diets. In precipitated products, enzyme inhibitors concentrate in the soaking liquid rather than in the curd. Thus, in tofu and bean curd, growth depressants are reduced in quantity but not completely eliminated. Soy also contains goitrogens - substances that depress thyroid function. Soybeans are high in phytic acid, present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. It's a substance that can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc - in the intestinal tract. Although not a household word, phytic acid has been extensively studied; there are literally hundreds of articles on the effects of phytic acid in the current scientific literature. Scientists are in general agreement that grain- and legume-based diets high in phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world countries.(15) Analysis shows that calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc are present in the plant foods eaten in these areas, but the high phytate content of soy- and grain-based diets prevents their absorption. The soybean has one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume that has been studied,(16) and the phytates in soy are highly resistant to normal phytate-reducing techniques such as long, slow cooking.(17) Only a long period of fermentation will significantly reduce the phytate content of soybeans. When precipitated soy products like tofu are consumed with meat, the mineral-blocking effects of the phytates are reduced.(18) The Japanese traditionally eat a small amount of tofu or miso as part of a mineral-rich fish broth, followed by a serving of meat or fish. Vegetarians who consume tofu and bean curd as a substitute for meat and dairy products risk severe mineral deficiencies. The results of calcium, magnesium and iron deficiency are well known; those of zinc are less so. Zinc is called the intelligence mineral because it is needed for optimal development and functioning of the brain and nervous system. It plays a role in protein synthesis and collagen formation; it is involved in the blood- sugar control mechanism and thus protects against diabetes; it is needed for a healthy reproductive system. Zinc is a key component in numerous vital enzymes and plays a role in the immune system. Phytates found in soy products interfere with zinc absorption more completely than with other minerals.(19) Zinc deficiency can cause a " spacey " feeling that some vegetarians may mistake for the " high " of spiritual enlightenment. Milk drinking is given as the reason why second-generation Japanese in America grow taller than their native ancestors. Some investigators postulate that the reduced phytate content of the American diet - whatever may be its other deficiencies - is the true explanation, pointing out that both Asian and Western children who do not get enough meat and fish products to counteract the effects of a high phytate diet, frequently suffer rickets, stunting and other growth problems.(20) SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE: NOT SO FRIENDLY Soy processors have worked hard to get these antinutrients out of the finished product, particularly soy protein isolate (SPI) which is the key ingredient in most soy foods that imitate meat and dairy products, including baby formulas and some brands of soy milk. SPI is not something you can make in your own kitchen. Production takes place in industrial factories where a slurry of soy beans is first mixed with an alkaline solution to remove fibre, then precipitated and separated using an acid wash and, finally, neutralised in an alkaline solution. Acid washing in aluminium tanks leaches high levels of aluminium into the final product. The resultant curds are spray- dried at high temperatures to produce a high-protein powder. A final indignity to the original soybean is high-temperature, high-pressure extrusion processing of soy protein isolate to produce textured vegetable protein (TVP). Much of the trypsin inhibitor content can be removed through high- temperature processing, but not all. Trypsin inhibitor content of soy protein isolate can vary as much as fivefold.(21) (In rats, even low-level trypsin inhibitor SPI feeding results in reduced weight gain compared to controls.(22)) But high-temperature processing has the unfortunate side- effect of so denaturing the other proteins in soy that they are rendered largely ineffective.(23) That's why animals on soy feed need lysine supplements for normal growth. Nitrites, which are potent carcinogens, are formed during spray-drying, and a toxin called lysinoalanine is formed during alkaline processing.(24) Numerous artificial flavourings, particularly MSG, are added to soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein products to mask their strong " beany " taste and to impart the flavour of meat.(25) In feeding experiments, the use of SPI increased requirements for vitamins E, K, D and B12 and created deficiency symptoms of calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, copper, iron and zinc.(26) Phytic acid remaining in these soy products greatly inhibits zinc and iron absorption; test animals fed SPI develop enlarged organs, particularly the pancreas and thyroid gland, and increased deposition of fatty acids in the liver.(27) Yet soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein are used extensively in school lunch programs, commercial baked goods, diet beverages and fast food products. They are heavily promoted in third world countries and form the basis of many food giveaway programs. In spite of poor results in animal feeding trials, the soy industry has sponsored a number of studies designed to show that soy protein products can be used in human diets as a replacement for traditional foods. An example is " Nutritional Quality of Soy Bean Protein Isolates: Studies in Children of Preschool Age " , sponsored by the Ralston Purina Company.(28) A group of Central American children suffering from malnutrition was first stabilised and brought into better health by feeding them native foods, including meat and dairy products. Then, for a two-week period, these traditional foods were replaced by a drink made of soy protein isolate and sugar. All nitrogen taken in and all nitrogen excreted was measured in truly Orwellian fashion: the children were weighed naked every morning, and all excrement and vomit gathered up for analysis. The researchers found that the children retained nitrogen and that their growth was " adequate " , so the experiment was declared a success. Whether the children were actually healthy on such a diet, or could remain so over a long period, is another matter. The researchers noted that the children vomited " occasionally " , usually after finishing a meal; that over half suffered from periods of moderate diarrhoea; that some had upper respiratory infections; and that others suffered from rash and fever. It should be noted that the researchers did not dare to use soy products to help the children recover from malnutrition, and were obliged to supplement the soy-sugar mixture with nutrients largely absent in soy products - notably, vitamins A, D and B12, iron, iodine and zinc. FDA HEALTH CLAIM CHALLENGED The best marketing strategy for a product that is inherently unhealthy is, of course, a health claim. " The road to FDA approval, " writes a soy apologist, " was long and demanding, consisting of a detailed review of human clinical data collected from more than 40 scientific studies conducted over the last 20 years. Soy protein was found to be one of the rare foods that had sufficient scientific evidence not only to qualify for an FDA health claim proposal but to ultimately pass the rigorous approval process. " (29) The " long and demanding " road to FDA approval actually took a few unexpected turns. The original petition, submitted by Protein Technology International, requested a health claim for isoflavones, the oestrogen-like compounds found plentifully in soybeans, based on assertions that " only soy protein that has been processed in a manner in which isoflavones are retained will result in cholesterol lowering " . In 1998, the FDA made the unprecedented move of rewriting PTI's petition, removing any reference to the phyto-oestrogens and substituting a claim for soy protein - a move that was in direct contradiction to the agency's regulations. The FDA is authorised to make rulings only on substances presented by petition. The abrupt change in direction was no doubt due to the fact that a number of researchers, including scientists employed by the US Government, submitted documents indicating that isoflavones are toxic. The FDA had also received, early in 1998, the final British Government report on phytoestrogens, which failed to find much evidence of benefit and warned against potential adverse effects.(30) Even with the change to soy protein isolate, FDA bureaucrats engaged in the " rigorous approval process " were forced to deal nimbly with concerns about mineral blocking effects, enzyme inhibitors, goitrogenicity, endocrine disruption, reproductive problems and increased allergic reactions from consumption of soy products.(31) One of the strongest letters of protest came from Dr Dan Sheehan and Dr Doerge, government researchers at the National Center for Toxicological Research.(32) Their pleas for warning labels were dismissed as unwarranted. " Sufficient scientific evidence " of soy's cholesterol-lowering properties is drawn largely from a 1995 meta-analysis by Dr , sponsored by Protein Technologies International and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.(33) A meta-analysis is a review and summary of the results of many clinical studies on the same subject. Use of meta-analyses to draw general conclusions has come under sharp criticism by members of the scientific community. " Researchers substituting meta-analysis for more rigorous trials risk making faulty assumptions and indulging in creative accounting, " says Sir , President of the Royal Society of New Zealand. " Like is not being lumped with like. Little lumps and big lumps of data are being gathered together by various groups. " (34) There is the added temptation for researchers, particularly researchers funded by a company like Protein Technologies International, to leave out studies that would prevent the desired conclusions. Dr discarded eight studies for various reasons, leaving a remainder of twenty-nine. The published report suggested that individuals with cholesterol levels over 250 mg/dl would experience a " significant " reduction of 7 to 20 per cent in levels of serum cholesterol if they substituted soy protein for animal protein. Cholesterol reduction was insignificant for individuals whose cholesterol was lower than 250 mg/dl. In other words, for most of us, giving up steak and eating vegieburgers instead will not bring down blood cholesterol levels. The health claim that the FDA approved " after detailed review of human clinical data " fails to inform the consumer about these important details. Research that ties soy to positive effects on cholesterol levels is " incredibly immature " , said M. Krauss, MD, head of the Molecular Medical Research Program and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.(35) He might have added that studies in which cholesterol levels were lowered through either diet or drugs have consistently resulted in a greater number of deaths in the treatment groups than in controls - deaths from stroke, cancer, intestinal disorders, accident and suicide.(36) Cholesterol-lowering measures in the US have fuelled a $60 billion per year cholesterol-lowering industry, but have not saved us from the ravages of heart disease. SOY AND CANCER The new FDA ruling does not allow any claims about cancer prevention on food packages, but that has not restrained the industry and its marketeers from making them in their promotional literature. " In addition to protecting the heart, " says a vitamin company brochure, " soy has demonstrated powerful anticancer benefits...the Japanese, who eat 30 times as much soy as North Americans, have a lower incidence of cancers of the breast, uterus and prostate. " (37) Indeed they do. But the Japanese, and Asians in general, have much higher rates of other types of cancer, particularly cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, pancreas and liver.(38) Asians throughout the world also have high rates of thyroid cancer.(39) The logic that links low rates of reproductive cancers to soy consumption requires attribution of high rates of thyroid and digestive cancers to the same foods, particularly as soy causes these types of cancers in laboratory rats. Just how much soy do Asians eat? A 1998 survey found that the average daily amount of soy protein consumed in Japan was about eight grams for men and seven for women - less than two teaspoons.(40) The famous Cornell China Study, conducted by Colin T. , found that legume consumption in China varied from 0 to 58 grams per day, with a mean of about twelve.(41) Assuming that two-thirds of legume consumption is soy, then the maximum consumption is about 40 grams, or less than three tablespoons per day, with an average consumption of about nine grams, or less than two teaspoons. A survey conducted in the 1930s found that soy foods accounted for only 1.5 per cent of calories in the Chinese diet, compared with 65 per cent of calories from pork.(42) (Asians traditionally cooked with lard, not vegetable oil!) Traditionally fermented soy products make a delicious, natural seasoning that may supply important nutritional factors in the Asian diet. But except in times of famine, Asians consume soy products only in small amounts, as condiments, and not as a replacement for animal foods - with one exception. Celibate monks living in monasteries and leading a vegetarian lifestyle find soy foods quite helpful because they dampen libido. It was a 1994 meta-analysis by Mark Messina, published in Nutrition and Cancer, that fuelled speculation on soy's anticarcinogenic properties.(43) Messina noted that in 26 animal studies, 65 per cent reported protective effects from soy. He conveniently neglected to include at least one study in which soy feeding caused pancreatic cancer - the 1985 study by Rackis.(44) In the human studies he listed, the results were mixed. A few showed some protective effect, but most showed no correlation at all between soy consumption and cancer rates. He concluded that " the data in this review cannot be used as a basis for claiming that soy intake decreases cancer risk " . Yet in his subsequent book, The Simple Soybean and Your Health, Messina makes just such a claim, recommending one cup or 230 grams of soy products per day in his " optimal " diet as a way to prevent cancer. Thousands of women are now consuming soy in the belief that it protects them against breast cancer. Yet, in 1996, researchers found that women consuming soy protein isolate had an increased incidence of epithelial hyperplasia, a condition that presages malignancies.(45) A year later, dietary genistein was found to stimulate breast cells to enter the cell cycle - a discovery that led the study authors to conclude that women should not consume soy products to prevent breast cancer.(46) PHYTOESTROGENS: PANACEA OR POISON? The male species of tropical birds carries the drab plumage of the female at birth and 'colours up' at maturity, somewhere between nine and 24 months. In 1991, and , bird breeders in Whangerai, New Zealand, purchased a new kind of feed for their birds - one based largely on soy protein.(47) When soy-based feed was used, their birds 'coloured up' after just a few months. In fact, one bird-food manufacturer claimed that this early development was an advantage imparted by the feed. A 1992 ad for Roudybush feed formula showed a picture of the male crimson rosella, an Australian parrot that acquires beautiful red plumage at 18 to 24 months, already brightly coloured at 11 weeks old. Unfortunately, in the ensuing years, there was decreased fertility in the birds, with precocious maturation, deformed, stunted and stillborn babies, and premature deaths, especially among females, with the result that the total population in the aviaries went into steady decline. The birds suffered beak and bone deformities, goitre, immune system disorders and pathological, aggressive behaviour. Autopsy revealed digestive organs in a state of disintegration. The list of problems corresponded with many of the problems the es had encountered in their two children, who had been fed soy-based infant formula. Startled, aghast, angry, the es hired toxicologist Mike Fitzpatrick. PhD, to investigate further. Dr Fitzpatrick's literature review uncovered evidence that soy consumption has been linked to numerous disorders, including infertility, increased cancer and infantile leukaemia; and, in studies dating back to the 1950s,(48) that genistein in soy causes endocrine disruption in animals. Dr Fitzpatrick also analysed the bird feed and found that it contained high levels of phytoestrogens, especially genistein. When the es discontinued using soy-based feed, the flock gradually returned to normal breeding habits and behaviour. The es embarked on a private crusade to warn the public and government officials about toxins in soy foods, particularly the endocrine-disrupting isoflavones, genistein and diadzen. Protein Technology International received their material in 1994. In 1991, Japanese researchers reported that consumption of as little as 30 grams or two tablespoons of soybeans per day for only one month resulted in a significant increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone.(49) Diffuse goitre and hypothyroidism appeared in some of the subjects and many complained of constipation, fatigue and lethargy, even though their intake of iodine was adequate. In 1997, researchers from the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research made the embarrassing discovery that the goitrogenic components of soy were the very same isoflavones.(50) Twenty-five grams of soy protein isolate, the minimum amount PTI claimed to have cholesterol-lowering effects, contains from 50 to 70 mg of isoflavones. It took only 45 mg of isoflavones in premenopausal women to exert significant biological effects, including a reduction in hormones needed for adequate thyroid function. These effects lingered for three months after soy consumption was discontinued.(51) One hundred grams of soy protein - the maximum suggested cholesterol- lowering dose, and the amount recommended by Protein Technologies International - can contain almost 600 mg of isoflavones,(52) an amount that is undeniably toxic. In 1992, the Swiss health service estimated that 100 grams of soy protein provided the oestrogenic equivalent of the Pill.(53) In vitro studies suggest that isoflavones inhibit synthesis of oestradiol and other steroid hormones.(54) Reproductive problems, infertility, thyroid disease and liver disease due to dietary intake of isoflavones have been observed for several species of animals including mice, cheetah, quail, pigs, rats, sturgeon and sheep.(55) It is the isoflavones in soy that are said to have a favourable effect on postmenopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, and protection from osteoporosis. Quantification of discomfort from hot flushes is extremely subjective, and most studies show that control subjects report reduction in discomfort in amounts equal to subjects given soy.(56) The claim that soy prevents osteoporosis is extraordinary, given that soy foods block calcium and cause vitamin D deficiencies. If Asians indeed have lower rates of osteoporosis than Westerners, it is because their diet provides plenty of vitamin D from shrimp, lard and seafood, and plenty of calcium from bone broths. The reason that Westerners have such high rates of osteoporosis is because they have substituted soy oil for butter, which is a traditional source of vitamin D and other fat-soluble activators needed for calcium absorption. BIRTH CONTROL PILLS FOR BABIES But it was the isoflavones in infant formula that gave the es the most cause for concern. In 1998, investigators reported that the daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant formula is 6 to11 times higher on a body-weight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults consuming soy foods. Circulating concentrations of isoflavones in infants fed soy-based formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than plasma oestradiol concentrations in infants on cow's milk formula.(57) Approximately 25 per cent of bottle-fed children in the US receive soy-based formula - a much higher percentage than in other parts of the Western world. Fitzpatrick estimated that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the oestrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day.(58) By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products. Scientists have known for years that soy-based formula can cause thyroid problems in babies. But what are the effects of soy products on the hormonal development of the infant, both male and female? Male infants undergo a " testosterone surge " during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, the infant is programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of his sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behaviour. In monkeys, deficiency of male hormones impairs the development of spatial perception (which, in humans, is normally more acute in men than in women), of learning ability and of visual discrimination tasks (such as would be required for reading).(59) It goes without saying that future patterns of sexual orientation may also be influenced by the early hormonal environment. Male children exposed during gestation to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic oestrogen that has effects on animals similar to those of phytoestrogens from soy, had testes smaller than normal on manturation.(60) Learning disabilities, especially in male children, have reached epidemic proportions. Soy infant feeding - which began in earnest in the early 1970s - cannot be ignored as a probable cause for these tragic developments. As for girls, an alarming number are entering puberty much earlier than normal, according to a recent study reported in the journal Pediatrics.(61) Investigators found that one per cent of all girls now show signs of puberty, such as breast development or pubic hair, before the age of three; by age eight, 14.7 per cent of white girls and almost 50 per cent of African-American girls have one or both of these characteristics. New data indicate that environmental oestrogens such as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of DDT) may cause early sexual development in girls.(62) In the 1986 Puerto Rico Premature Thelarche study, the most significant dietary association with premature sexual development was not chicken - as reported in the press - but soy infant formula.(63) The consequences of this truncated childhood are tragic. Young girls with mature bodies must cope with feelings and urges that most children are not well-equipped to handle. And early maturation in girls is frequently a harbinger for problems with the reproductive system later in life, including failure to menstruate, infertility and breast cancer. Parents who have contacted the es recount other problems associated with children of both sexes who were fed soy-based formula, including extreme emotional behaviour, asthma, immune system problems, pituitary insufficiency, thyroid disorders and irritable bowel syndrome - the same endocrine and digestive havoc that afflicted the es' parrots. DISSENSION IN THE RANKS Organisers of the Third International Soy Symposium would be hard-pressed to call the conference an unqualified success. On the second day of the symposium, the London-based Food Commission and the Weston A. Price Foundation of Washington, DC, held a joint press conference, in the same hotel as the symposium, to present concerns about soy infant formula. Industry representatives sat stony-faced through the recitation of potential dangers and a plea from concerned scientists and parents to pull soy-based infant formula from the market. Under pressure from the es, the New Zealand Government had issued a health warning about soy infant formula in 1998; it was time for the American government to do the same. On the last day of the symposium, presentations on new findings related to toxicity sent a well-oxygenated chill through the giddy helium hype. Dr Lon White reported on a study of Japanese Americans living in Hawaii, that showed a significant statistical relationship between two or more servings of tofu a week and " accelerated brain aging " .(64) Those participants who consumed tofu in mid-life had lower cognitive function in late life and a greater incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. " What's more, " said Dr White, " those who ate a lot of tofu, by the time they were 75 or 80 looked five years older " .(65) White and his colleagues blamed the negative effects on isoflavones - a finding that supports an earlier study in which postmenopausal women with higher levels of circulating oestrogen experienced greater cognitive decline.(66) Scientists Sheehan and Doerge, from the National Center for Toxicological Research, ruined PTI's day by presenting findings from rat feeding studies, indicating that genistein in soy foods causes irreversible damage to enzymes that synthesise thyroid hormones.(67) " The association between soybean consumption and goiter in animals and humans has a long history, " wrote Dr Doerge. " Current evidence for the beneficial effects of soy requires a full understanding of potential adverse effects as well. " Dr Claude reported that rats born to mothers that were fed genistein had decreased birth weights compared to controls, and onset of puberty occurred earlier in male offspring.(68) His research suggested that the effects observed in rats " ...will be at least somewhat predictive of what occurs in humans. There is no reason to assume that there will be gross malformations of fetuses but there may be subtle changes, such as neurobehavioral attributes, immune function and sex hormone levels. " The results, he said, " could be nothing or could be something of great concern...if mom is eating something that can act like sex hormones, it is logical to wonder if that could change the baby's development " .(69) A study of babies born to vegetarian mothers, published in January 2000, indicated just what those changes in baby's development might be. Mothers who ate a vegetarian diet during pregnancy had a fivefold greater risk of delivering a boy with hypospadias, a birth defect of the penis.(70) The authors of the study suggested that the cause was greater exposure to phytoestrogens in soy foods popular with vegetarians. Problems with female offspring of vegetarian mothers are more likely to show up later in life. While soy's oestrogenic effect is less than that of diethylstilbestrol (DES), the dose is likely to be higher because it's consumed as a food, not taken as a drug. Daughters of women who took DES during pregnancy suffered from infertility and cancer when they reached their twenties. QUESTION MARKS OVER GRAS STATUS Lurking in the background of industry hype for soy is the nagging question of whether it's even legal to add soy protein isolate to food. All food additives not in common use prior to 1958, including casein protein from milk, must have GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status. In 1972, the Nixon administration directed a re-examination of substances believed to be GRAS, in the light of any scientific information then available. This re- examination included casein protein which became codified as GRAS in 1978. In 1974, the FDA obtained a literature review of soy protein because, as soy protein had not been used in food until 1959 and was not even in common use in the early 1970s, it was not eligible to have its GRAS status grandfathered under the provisions of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.(71) The scientific literature up to 1974 recognised many antinutrients in factory-made soy protein, including trypsin inhibitors, phytic acid and genistein. But the FDA literature review dismissed discussion of adverse impacts, with the statement that it was important for " adequate processing " to remove them. Genistein could be removed with an alcohol wash, but it was an expensive procedure that processors avoided. Later studies determined that trypsin inhibitor content could be removed only with long periods of heat and pressure, but the FDA has imposed no requirements for manufacturers to do so. The FDA was more concerned with toxins formed during processing, specifically nitrites and lysinoalanine.(72) Even at low levels of consumption - averaging one-third of a gram per day at the time - the presence of these carcinogens was considered too great a threat to public health to allow GRAS status. Soy protein did have approval for use as a binder in cardboard boxes, and this approval was allowed to continue, as researchers considered that migration of nitrites from the box into the food contents would be too small to constitute a cancer risk. FDA officials called for safety specifications and monitoring procedures before granting of GRAS status for food. These were never performed. To this day, use of soy protein is codified as GRAS only for this limited industrial use as a cardboard binder. This means that soy protein must be subject to premarket approval procedures each time manufacturers intend to use it as a food or add it to a food. Soy protein was introduced into infant formula in the early 1960s. It was a new product with no history of any use at all. As soy protein did not have GRAS status, premarket approval was required. This was not and still has not been granted. The key ingredient of soy infant formula is not recognised as safe. THE NEXT ASBESTOS? " Against the backdrop of widespread praise...there is growing suspicion that soy - despite its undisputed benefits - may pose some health hazards, " writes n Burros, a leading food writer for the New York Times. More than any other writer, Ms Burros's endorsement of a low-fat, largely vegetarian diet has herded Americans into supermarket aisles featuring soy foods. Yet her January 26, 2000 article, " Doubts Cloud Rosy News on Soy " , contains the following alarming statement: " Not one of the 18 scientists interviewed for this column was willing to say that taking isoflavones was risk free. " Ms Burros did not enumerate the risks, nor did she mention that the recommended 25 daily grams of soy protein contain enough isoflavones to cause problems in sensitive individuals, but it was evident that the industry had recognised the need to cover itself. Because the industry is extremely exposed...contingency lawyers will soon discover that the number of potential plaintiffs can be counted in the millions and the pockets are very, very deep. Juries will hear something like the following: " The industry has known for years that soy contains many toxins. At first they told the public that the toxins were removed by processing. When it became apparent that processing could not get rid of them, they claimed that these substances were beneficial. Your government granted a health claim to a substance that is poisonous, and the industry lied to the public to sell more soy. " The " industry " includes merchants, manufacturers, scientists, publicists, bureaucrats, former bond financiers, food writers, vitamin companies and retail stores. Farmers will probably escape because they were duped like the rest of us. But they need to find something else to grow before the soy bubble bursts and the market collapses: grass-fed livestock, designer vegetables...or hemp to make paper for thousands and thousands of legal briefs. Endnotes: 1. Program for the Third International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease, Sunday, October 31, through Wednesday, November 3, 1999, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC. 2. Houghton, Dean, " Healthful Harvest " , The Furrow, January 2000, pp. 10-13. 3. , J., " Vegetable Protein - A Delayed Birth? " Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 52:238A, April 1975. 4. See www/unitedsoybean.org. 5. These are listed in www.soyonlineservice.co.nz. 6. Wall Street Journal, October 27, 1995. 7. , F., " Healthier tortillas could lead to healthier Mexico " , Denver Post, August 22, 1999, p. 26A. 8. " Bakery says new loaf can help reduce hot flushes " , Reuters, September 15, 1997. 9. " Beefing Up Burgers with Soy Products at School " , Nutrition Week, Community Nutrition Institute, Washington, DC, June 5, 1998, p. 2. 10. Urquhart, , " A Health Food Hits Big Time " , Wall Street Journal, August 3, 1999, p. B1 11. " Soyabean Milk Plant in Kenya " , Africa News Service, September 1998. 12. Simoons, Frederick J., Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1991, p. 64. 13. Katz, H., " Food and Biocultural Evolution: A Model for the Investigation of Modern Nutritional Problems " , Nutritional Anthropology, Alan R. Liss Inc., 1987, p. 50. 14. Rackis, ph J. et al., " The USDA trypsin inhibitor study. I. Background, objectives and procedural details " , Qualification of Plant Foods in Human Nutrition, vol. 35, 1985. 15. Van Rensburg et al., " Nutritional status of African populations predisposed to esophageal cancer " , Nutrition and Cancer, vol. 4, 1983, pp. 206-216; Moser, P.B. et al., " Copper, iron, zinc and selenium dietary intake and status of Nepalese lactating women and their breastfed infants " , American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 47:729-734, April 1988; Harland, B.F. et al., " Nutritional status and phytate: zinc and phytate X calcium: zinc dietary molar ratios of lacto-ovovegetarian Trappist monks: 10 years later " , Journal of the American Dietetic Association 88:1562-1566, December 1988. 16. El Tiney, A.H., " Proximate Composition and Mineral and Phytate Contents of Legumes Grown in Sudan " , Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (1989) 2:6778. 17. Ologhobo, A.D. et al., " Distribution of phosphorus and phytate in some Nigerian varieties of legumes and some effects of processing " , Journal of Food Science 49(1):199-201, January/February 1984. 18. Sandstrom, B. et al., " Effect of protein level and protein source on zinc absorption in humans " , Journal of Nutrition 119(1):48-53, January 1989; Tait, et al., " The availability of minerals in food, with particular reference to iron " , Journal of Research in Society and Health 103(2):74-77, April 1983. 19. Phytate reduction of zinc absorption has been demonstrated in numerous studies. These results are summarised in Leviton, , Tofu, Tempeh, Miso and Other Soyfoods: The 'Food of the Future' - How to Enjoy Its Spectacular Health Benefits, Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, CT, USA, 1982, p. 1415. 20. Mellanby, , " Experimental rickets: The effect of cereals and their interaction with other factors of diet and environment in producing rickets " , Journal of the Medical Research Council 93:265, March 1925; Wills, M.R. et al., " Phytic Acid and Nutritional Rickets in Immigrants " , The Lancet, April 8,1972, pp. 771-773. 21. Rackis et al., ibid. 22. Rackis et al., ibid., p. 232. 23. Wallace, G.M., " Studies on the Processing and Properties of Soymilk " , Journal of Science and Food Agriculture 22:526-535, October 1971. 24. Rackis, et al., ibid., p. 22; " Evaluation of the Health Aspects of Soy Protein Isolates as Food Ingredients " , prepared for FDA by Life Sciences Research Office, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20014), USA, Contract No. FDA 223-75- 2004, 1979. 25. See www/truthinlabeling.org. 26. Rackis, ph, J., " Biological and Physiological Factors in Soybeans " , Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 51:161A-170A, January 1974. 27. Rackis, ph J. et al., " The USDA trypsin inhibitor study " , ibid. 28. Torum, , " Nutritional Quality of Soybean Protein Isolates: Studies in Children of Preschool Age " , in Soy Protein and Human Nutrition, Harold L Wilcke et al. (eds), Academic Press, New York, 1979. 29. Zreik, Marwin, CCN, " The Great Soy Protein Awakening " , Total Health 32(1), February 2000. 30. IEH Assessment on Phytoestrogens in the Human Diet, Final Report to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, UK, November 1997, p. 11. 31. Food Labeling: Health Claims: Soy Protein and Coronary Heart Disease, Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR, Part 101 (Docket No. 98P-0683). 32. Sheegan, M. and R Doerge, Letter to Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), February 18, 1999. 33. , W. et al., " Meta-analysis of the Effects of Soy Protein Intake on Serum Lipids " , New England Journal of Medicine (1995) 333:(5):276- 282. 34. Guy, Camille, " Doctors warned against magic, quackery " , New Zealand Herald, September 9, 1995, section 8, p. 5. 35. Sander, Kate and , " FDA approves new health claim for soy, but litte fallout expected for dairy " , Cheese Market News, October 22, 1999, p. 24. 36. Enig, G. and Sally Fallon, " The Oiling of America " , NEXUS Magazine, December 1998-January 1999 and February-March 1999; also available at www.WestonAPrice.org. 37. Natural Medicine News (L & H Vitamins, 32-33 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101), USA, January/February 2000, p. 8. 38. Harras, (ed.), Cancer Rates and Risks, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 1996, 4th edition. 39. Searle, E. (ed.), Chemical Carcinogens, ACS Monograph 173, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1976. 40. Nagata, C. et al., Journal of Nutrition (1998) 128:209-213. 41. , Colin T. et al., The Cornell Project in China. 42. Chang, K.C. (ed.), Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives, New Haven, 1977. 43. Messina, Mark J. et al., " Soy Intake and Cancer Risk: A Review of the In Vitro and In Vivo Data " , Nutrition and Cancer (1994) 21(2):113-131. 44. Rackis et al, " The USDA trypsin inhibitor study " , ibid. 45. Petrakis, N.L. et al., " Stimulatory influence of soy protein isolate on breast secretion in pre- and post-menopausal women " , Cancer Epid. Bio. Prev. (1996) 5:785-794. 46. Dees, C. et al., " Dietary estrogens stimulate human breast cells to enter the cell cycle " , Environmental Health Perspectives (1997) 105(Suppl. 3):633-636. 47. Woodhams, D.J., " Phytoestrogens and parrots: The anatomy of an investigation " , Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand (1995) 20:22-30. 48. Matrone, G. et al., " Effect of Genistin on Growth and Development of the Male Mouse " , Journal of Nutrition (1956) 235-240. 49. Ishizuki, Y. et al., " The effects on the thyroid gland of soybeans administered experimentally in healthy subjects " , Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai Zasshi (1991) 767:622-629. 50. Divi, R.L. et al., " Anti-thyroid isoflavones from the soybean " , Biochemical Pharmacology (1997) 54:1087-1096. 51. Cassidy, A. et al., " Biological Effects of a Diet of Soy Protein Rich in Isoflavones on the Menstrual Cycle of Premenopausal Women " , American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1994) 60:333-340. 52. , P.A., " Phytoestrogen Content of Processed Soybean Foods " , Food Technology, January 1982, pp. 60-64. 53. Bulletin de L'Office Fédéral de la Santé Publique, no. 28, July 20, 1992. 54. Keung, W.M., " Dietary oestrogenic isoflavones are potent inhibitors of B-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase of P. testosteronii " , Biochemical and Biophysical Research Committee (1995) 215:1137-1144; Makela, S.I. et al., " Estrogen-specific 12 B-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase type 1 (E.C. 1.1.1.62) as a possible target for the action of phytoestrogens " , PSEBM (1995) 208:51- 59. 55. Setchell, K.D.R. et al., " Dietary oestrogens - a probable cause of infertility and liver disease in captive cheetahs " , Gastroenterology (1987) 93:225-233; Leopald, A.S., " Phytoestrogens: Adverse effects on reproduction in California Quail, " Science (1976) 191:98-100; Drane, H.M. et al., " Oestrogenic activity of soya-bean products " , Food, Cosmetics and Technology (1980) 18:425-427; Kimura, S. et al., " Development of malignant goiter by defatted soybean with iodine-free diet in rats " , Gann. (1976) 67:763-765; Pelissero, C. et al., " Oestrogenic effect of dietary soybean meal on vitellogenesis in cultured Siberian Sturgeon Acipenser baeri " , Gen. Comp. End. (1991) 83:447-457; Braden et al., " The oestrogenic activity and metabolism of certain isoflavones in sheep " , Australian J. Agricultural Research (1967) 18:335-348. 56. Ginsburg, and Giordana M. Prelevic, " Is there a proven place for phytoestrogens in the menopause? " , Climacteric (1999) 2:75-78. 57. Setchell, K.D. et al., " Isoflavone content of infant formulas and the metabolic fate of these early phytoestrogens in early life " , American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 1998 Supplement, 1453S-1461S. 58. Irvine, C. et al., " The Potential Adverse Effects of Soybean Phytoestrogens in Infant Feeding " , New Zealand Medical Journal May 24, 1995, p. 318. 59. Hagger, C. and J. Bachevalier, " Visual habit formation in 3-month-old monkeys (Macaca mulatta): reversal of sex difference following neonatal manipulations of androgen " , Behavior and Brain Research (1991) 45:57-63. 60. Ross, R.K. et al., " Effect of in-utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol on age at onset of puberty and on post-pubertal hormone levels in boys " , Canadian Medical Association Journal 128(10):1197-8, May 15, 1983. 61. Herman-Giddens, Marcia E. et al., " Secondary Sexual Characteristics and Menses in Young Girls Seen in Office Practice: A Study from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings Network " , Pediatrics 99(4):505-512, April 1997. 62. 's Environment & Health Weekly 263, " The Wingspread Statement " , Part 1, December 11, 1991; Colborn, Theo, Dianne Dumanoski and Myers, Our Stolen Future, Little, Brown & Company, London, 1996. 63. Freni-Titulaer, L.W., " Premature Thelarch in Puerto Rico: A search for environmental factors " , American Journal of Diseases of Children 140(12):1263-1267, December 1986. 64. White, Lon, " Association of High Midlife Tofu Consumption with Accelerated Brain Aging " , Plenary Session #8: Cognitive Function, The Third International Soy Symposium, November 1999, Program, p. 26. 65. Altonn, Helen, " Too much tofu induces 'brain aging', study shows " , Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 19, 1999. 66. Journal of the American Geriatric Society (1998) 46:816-21. 67. Doerge, R., " Inactivation of Thyroid Peroxidase by Genistein and Daidzein in Vitro and in Vivo; Mechanism for Anti-Thyroid Activity of Soy " , presented at the November 1999 Soy Symposium in Washington, DC, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR 72029, USA. 68. , Claude, Center for Women's Health and Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA. 69. Soy Intake May Affect Fetus " , Reuters News Service, November 5, 1999. 70. " Vegetarian diet in pregnancy linked to birth defect " , BJU International 85:107-113, January 2000. 71. FDA ref 72/104, Report FDABF GRAS - 258. 72. " Evaluation of the Health Aspects of Soy Protein Isolates as Food Ingredients " , prepared for FDA by Life Sciences Research Office, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) (9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20014, USA), Contract No, FDA 223-75-2004, 1979. About the Authors: Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats (1999, 2nd edition, New Trends Publishing, tel +1 877 707 1776 or +1 219 268 2601) and President of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Washington, DC (www.WestonAPrice.org). G. Enig, PhD, is the author of Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol (2000, Bethesda Press, www.BethesdaPress.com), is President of the land Nutritionists Association and Vice President of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Washington, DC. The authors wish to thank Mike Fitzpatrick, PhD, and and for their help in preparing this article. FROM THE SOY ONLINE SERVICE WEBSITE, www.soyonlineservice.com.nz ----------------- Sally Fallon (www.REALMILK.COM) 4801 W St Washington, DC 20007 US Administrative Contact, Billing Contact: Fallon, Sally (SF3908) safallon@... Sally Fallon 4801 W St Washington,, DC 20007 (202) 333-4801 ------------------ Sally W Fallon (WESTONAPRICE-DOM) 4801 W St Nw Washington, DC 20007 US Domain Name: WESTONAPRICE.ORG Administrative Contact, Billing Contact: Fallon, Nick (NF1990) jbfassoc@... Sally W Fallon 4801 W St Nw Washington , DC 20007 (626) 296-5561 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2001 Report Share Posted April 16, 2001 Interesting. I have read both sides of the debate with an open mind. The research into the safety of both soy and RAW milk is voluminous. I choose RAW milk. God Almighty called the Promised Land the Land of Milk and Honey, and I'll take His word for it that milk is a good, wholesome food. Just make it RAW and organic, in its natural state, like it is intended to be utilized, thank you. Personally, pasteurized " milk " makes me sick, but RAW milk makes me feel great. I should have the right to buy the food I choose, just as you should have the right to buy what you choose. Why the hostility? Everybody in the world has an " agenda, " not just Sally Fallon. You have one, as well. So do I. So do migrant farm workers, CEO's of major corporations, astronauts,political figures, pastors and criminals. Big deal. The campaign for RAW milk is a legitimate one, based on the premise of freedom of choice. The research on soy is most alarming when viewed without bias, and is even outlawed in some countries for use in infant formulas. I am glad that some people are helped by soy and say More power to you! But others are helped by RAW dairy. Every body needs what it needs, and should have access to what it needs. Peace, Jewel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.