HELP DEFEAT PROPOSED SOY PROTEIN-PREVENTS-CANCER HEALTH CLAIM
Categories"The proposed health claim that soy protein prevents cancer is the work of the Solae Company, a joint venture of DuPont and Bunge and a major manufacturer of soy protein products. By the company's own estimates, winning a health claim will double sales of its products....
....In November 2004, Solae met with the FDA, conceded that its original qualified health claim was not warranted and proposed more ambiguous language including "New scientific research suggests, but does not prove, that soy protein may reduce the risk of certain cancers" and "Soy protein may reduce the risk of certain cancers. The scientific evidence is promising but not conclusive." Clearly, Solae hopes that an unproven claim - boldly stated on packages - will have the desired effect of encouraging Americans to eat more of its soy protein products. This would endanger the health of millions of Americans and so must not be allowed."...
Weasel worded to fool the unsuspecting - another typical example on how the industry continually puts our health at risk in order to improve their bottom line!
Chris Gupta
See also: Legal Action On Medical Problems Caused By Soy - Dioxin
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WESTON A. PRICE FOUNDATIONACTION ALERT
March 28, 2005
HELP DEFEAT PROPOSED SOY PROTEIN-PREVENTS-CANCER HEALTH CLAIMPlease Send Your Commens to the FDA No Later than Monday, April 11, 2005
The FDA may soon give food manufacturers permission to use a qualified health claim that soy protein prevents cancer. If approved, sales of soy protein would double in America, bringing billions of dollars in profits to the soy industry but putting millions of Americans at risk of allergic reaction, thyroid damage, and other health problems including the increased risk of various cancers.It is imperative that we let the FDA know that we dispute the unwarranted health claims being made for soy protein and that we demand that the FDA hold a public hearing so that the public can be made aware of the issues.
Quite simply, soy protein is not a health food, is not a panacea, and has not even been proven safe. Hundreds of studies link soy protein consumption to malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, immune system breakdown and even heart disease and cancer. Possible benefits are outweighed by proven risks.
CONCERNS ABOUT SOY'S SAFETYThe idea that the FDA could even be considering a soy protein for a cancer prevention health claim is ludicrous on the face of it. In brief:
. many toxicology textbooks list soy isoflavones (the plant estrogens found in soy protein products) as "carcinogens
. studies on soy and cancer prevention are inconsistent, inconclusive and contradictory.
. by protein can contribute to and even cause cancer, particularly breast cancer.
. soy protein is often credited for lower rates of breast, prostate and colon cancers in Asia but the same logic requires that it be blamed for higher rates of thyroid, pancreatic, liver and stomach cancers in those countries. .
Soy protein isolate, textured vegetable protein and other profitable modern American soy protein products are neither safe nor natural and are manufactured using high temperatures, intense pressure, acid and alkaline baths and petroleum solvents. Unlike traditional processing methods, modern industrial methods not only fail to eliminate the toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave nitrosamines and other carcinogenic residues.
Soy proteins are used as principal ingredients in shake powders, energy bars, veggie burgers, "lite"soy milks and other "health food" products and as cheap additives in more than 60 percent of the processed foods sold in supermarkets and in fast food restaurants. The increasing prevalence of soy protein in the food supply - and the growing perception by the public that it is "healthy" -- presents a serious threat for the growing ranks of people who are allergic or sensitive to soy.
HOW YOU CAN HELP!
We need the help of both individuals and organizations. Please write a letter to the FDA in which you (1) state emphatically that the FDA must hold a public hearing so that this information is presented to the American public and (2) tell your story about how you or your family's health has been detrimentally affected by the consumption of soy protein, if you have personally been affected. If you have not been personally affected by the consumption of soy protein and want to make a statement about your concerns on soy protein, please delete the third paragraph of the Sample Letter and send in the letter with any additional comments you may wish.
Over the past few years, the FDA has repeatedly taken actions regarding specific foods or drugs without keeping the public properly apprised of potential health risks. This must not be allowed to happen here.
Your letter must reach the FDA no later than Monday, April 11, 2005.
A Sample Letter is included below. Please cut and paste the Sample Letter with your personal comments and soy story, if you wish, or write your own letter.
SAMPLE LETTER
[DATE]
Tomoko Shimakawa, Sc.D.Division of Nutrition Programs and Labeling Office of Nutritional
Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition Food and Drug Administration 5100 Paint Branch
Parkway, HFS-830 College Park, MD 20740-3835
Re: Docket: 2004Q-0151 - Qualified Health Claim: Soy Protein and Cancer
Dear Dr. Shimakawa:
I am writing to protest the proposed soy-protein-prevents-cancer health claim and to request that the FDA hold a public hearing on this matter.Approval of this health claim would double the sales of soy foods in this country, bringing enormous profits to the soy and food processing industries while putting me, my family and most of the American public at risk.
I personally experienced ________________(If you have personally been harmed by soy, briefly state what happened to you, your family or friend as a result of eating soy i.e. thyroid damage, digestive distress, premature puberty, infertility, menstrual disorders, allergic reaction, birth defect, etc)____________.
This health issue resulted from the frequent consumption of ________________(Please name the soy protein products you or your family ate or drank. i.e. soy milk, shake powders, energy bars, tofu, veggie burgers, soy infant formula, etc).
I am deeply troubled by the prospect of a soy protein/cancer health claim for the following reasons:
. There is no consensus among experts that soy prevents cancer.
. Substantial evidence exists showing that soy can contribute to or even cause cancer, including breast cancer.
. Cancer statistics and epidemiological studies suggest that soy protein consumption might contribute to lower rates of some types of cancer but to higher rates of other types of cancer.
. The plant estrogens (isoflavones) contained in soy protein products can cause thyroid damage, reproductive disorders and other endocrine disruption.
. Soy is one of the top eight allergens, and its increased presence in the food supply would jeopardize the health and lives of many Americans.
. Several subsets of the population are at special risk, including people suffering from hypothyroidism and cancer.
For the above reasons, I urge the FDA to hold a public hearing on soy protein and to reject the proposed qualified soy-prevents-cancer health claim.
Thank you,
[Your name
Address
Telephone Number]
******************************************************
1. Submit your letter electronically here via the FDA website.
The specific FDA Docket number for the Solae health claim is Docket: 2004Q-0151 - Qualified Health Claim: Soy Protein and Cancer. Attachments are permitted.2. Or, send your letter in the body of an e-mail addressed to: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov.
In the Subject line of the e-mail, please insert the following:
Docket: 2004Q-0151 - Qualified Health Claim: Soy Protein and Cancer
This phrase must be in your subject line.
3. We also suggest you send a duplicate of your letter to the FDA by mail to ensure that the FDA receives and logs your comments. Apparently, e-mail may not always be reliable: Mail comments to:
Division of Dockets Management
Docket: 2004Q-0151 - Qualified Health Claim: Soy Protein and Cancer
Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 (HFA-305)
Rockville, MD, 20852
Your letter must reach the FDA no later than Monday, April 11, 2005.
******************************************************************
BACKGROUND: SOY PROTEIN AND THE FDA
The proposed health claim that soy protein prevents cancer is the work of the Solae Company, a joint venture of DuPont and Bunge and a major manufacturer of soy protein products. By the company's own estimates, winning a health claim will double sales of its products. Solae's proposed health claim was specifically designed to increase sales of modern soy protein products and would not cover traditionally prepared, fermented whole soy products such as fermented miso and tamari or shoyu soy sauces, which are safe and healthy for most people if eaten in modest quantities.
The Weston A. Price Foundation filed protest documents with the FDA on June 15, 2004 and January 20, 2005, presenting valid and carefully referenced scientific evidence refuting the incomplete evidence and self-serving arguments made by the Solae Company. In its original petition and follow-up document, Solae:
. did not establish the safety of soy protein;
. chose to dismiss well-designed studies that show adverse effects on the thyroid, reproductive and other systems of the body;
. failed to show definitively that soy protein prevents cancer; and
.ignored evidence that soy protein can contribute to or even cause cancer.
Solae even argued that the FDA approved the drug Tamoxifen and so ought to approve a health claim for soy protein because it contains the plant estrogen genistein, which has pharmaceutical effects similar to that of Tamoxifen. In fact, the FDA approved Tamoxifen as a drug and not a food, and never proposed that the entire population be medicated.
In November 2004, Solae met with the FDA, conceded that its original qualified health claim was not warranted and proposed more ambiguous language including "New scientific research suggests, but does not prove, that soy protein may reduce the risk of certain cancers" and "Soy protein may reduce the risk of certain cancers. The scientific evidence is promising but not conclusive." Clearly, Solae hopes that an unproven claim - boldly stated on packages - will have the desired effect of encouraging Americans to eat more of its soy protein products. This would endanger the health of millions of Americans and so must not be allowed.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND COMPLETE REFERENCES ABOUT THE RISKS OF SOY PROTEIN:
The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food by
Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, (New Trends, 2005). This 480-page book includes
53 pages of references which can be accessed here.
Thank you.
Bill SandaExecutive Director
Our postal address isPMB #106-380
4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20016 United States
posted by Chris Gupta on Wednesday April 6 2005
updated on Saturday September 24 2005URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2005/04/06/help_defeat_proposed_soy_proteinpreventscancer_health_claim.htm
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