Soy No Health Panacea but a Risk - Does Not Prevent Cancer Etc.
...Solae withdrew it's petition because it knew that its science was unconvincing and that the FDA had no choice but to turn them down. The bottom line is that soy does not prevent cancer....
..."In it's petition to the FDA, Solae contended that a qualified health claim was warranted because of "substantial scientific agreement" among experts that soy protein reduces the risk of breast, prostate and colon cancers. No such consensus exists. Scientists at the FDA's own Center for Toxicological Research have warned of soy protein's carcinogenic potential and of the health dangers of excess soy-food consumption. We showed the FDA that Solae was highly selective in its choice of evidence and biased in its interpretations. We reported on the fact that they had omitted many studies proving soy to be ineffective in preventing cancer, emphasized favorable outcomes in studies with mixed results and excused the results of the few unfavorable studies that they included to give the illusion of balance. Most importantly, we drew the FDA's attention to the fact that Solae excluded many studies showing that soy protein can cause and accelerate the growth of cancer, particularly breast cancer....
Sadly it has taken the Vioxx fiasco to prevent the industry form usurping the FDA to do it's bidding. Unlike the white wash on the soy-and-heart-disease health claim in 1999, It seems that the FDA, now under intense scrutiny, was forced to do proper due diligence on the cancer soy claim.
As if this was not enough soy products also over dose us with Fluoride...
...."some "health foods," with high levels of fluoride found in soy protein isolate, a key ingredient in energy bars, shake powders, veggie burgers and infant formula.
Babies on soy formula are at special risk not only for developing dental fluorosis but the mental fluorosis of ADD/ADHD. Although the fluoride levels of both soy and dairy formulas exceed that of breast milk, only soy formulas exceed safe levels when reconstituted with non-fluoridated distilled water. The levels increase considerably when parents reconstitute soy formula with fluoridated tap water. Worse, these soy bottle-fed infants are simultaneously exposed to high levels of neurotoxic aluminum, cadmium, manganese and plant estrogens. It's bad enough to expose adults to fluoride with its well established links to cancer, thyroid and other endocrine system disorders but unconscionable to expose infants and children whose brain, reproductive and other systems are developing."...
See also:
Legal Action On Medical Problems Caused By Soy - Dioxin
Thanks to the major efforts by the Weston Price Foundation and Kaayla Daniel team we finally have this flagship of health marketing scam exposed!
Chris Gupta
-----------------------No FDA Soy Cancer Health Claim Soon!
The Solae Company has withdrawn its petition to the FDA asking for approval of a soy protein and cancer health claim. This represents a major setback for the soy industry, which had been counting on a new health claim to spur sales and to counteract the growing numbers of adverse news reports about the dangers of soy.
According to Solae officials, the withdrawing of their petition had "nothing to do" with the science but was a strategy designed to allow the company to "re-structure" their petition. However the FDA had advised Solae on at least one occasion that it had not convincingly established the claim that soy can prevent cancer and that it had failed to counter massive evidence that soy can cause, contribute to or accelerate cancer growth.
As many of you know, I joined the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit nutrition education foundation based in Washington, DC, to present much of the scientific evidence against soy that led to the FDA's concerns and to Solae's withdrawal. Between June 2004 and April 2005, we submitted three detailed and heavily referenced protest documents that refuted Solae's claims that soy prevents cancer. And more than 500 of you wrote letters pleading with the FDA to reject Solae's petition as well. This summer we drew the FDA's attention to a July 2005 health advisory issued by the Israeli Health Ministry, which warned that soy infant formula should not be given to infants, that children should be fed soy foods no more than once per day to a maximum of three times per week and that adults should exercise caution because of increased risk of breast cancer, adverse effects on fertility and other evidence of endocrine disruption.
In its petition to the FDA, Solae contended that a qualified health claim was warranted because of "substantial scientific agreement" among experts that soy protein reduces the risk of breast, prostate and colon cancers. No such consensus exists. Scientists at the FDA's own Center for Toxicological Research have warned of soy protein's carcinogenic potential and of the health dangers of excess soy-food consumption. We showed the FDA that Solae was highly selective in its choice of evidence and biased in its interpretations. We reported on the fact that they had omitted many studies proving soy to be ineffective in preventing cancer, emphasized favorable outcomes in studies with mixed results and excused the results of the few unfavorable studies that they included to give the illusion of balance. Most importantly, we drew the FDA's attention to the fact that Solae excluded many studies showing that soy protein can cause and accelerate the growth of cancer, particularly breast cancer.
The FDA made a big mistake in 1999 when it sided with the soy industry and allowed a soy-and-heart-disease health claim. Today the FDA is under intense scrutiny because of the Vioxx debacle and could not afford to approve an unfounded soy-prevents-cancer health claim. Solae withdrew its petition because it knew that its science was unconvincing and that the FDA had no choice but to turn them down. The bottom line is that soy does not prevent cancer.
MORE BAD NEWS FOR THE SOY INDUSTRY
Last month the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported that most of the research carried out on soy to date is "inconclusive." The scientific literature review, carried out by a team of researchers at Tufts University in Boston, concluded that soy products appear to exert "a small benefit on LDL, cholesterol and triglycerides, but the effects may be of small clinical effect in individuals." But the researchers couldn't even determine from the studies how much soy protein might be needed for lipid reduction! The studies alleging that soy might reduce menopausal symptoms were judged to be either of "poor quality" or "their duration was too short to lead to definite conclusions." The team failed to find clear evidence that soy causes thyroid damage, but that's not surprising given their decision to exclude foreign studies from consideration. The key studies showing thyroid damage from soy have been carried out at leading thyroid clinics in Japan.
AND MORE BAD NEWS FOR THE SOY INDUSTRY
Just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that that the studies on soy and cancer are inconsistent and that high soy consumption might increase breast cancer risk. The authors indicated that this lack of "clear, consistent message" confuses many women and that "health professionals should take an active role and communicating and clarifying such information."
"THE NEXT BIG THING"
According to the recent market study "Soyfoods: The U.S. Market 2005," soy food sales hit $4 billion in 2004 but climbed only 2.1% that year, the slowest growth for the industry since the early 1980s. The industry blames consumer "boredom" with the soy products currently in the marketplace and consumer concerns about news reports and articles that have "questioned the health benefits of consuming soy-based food products."
Just two years ago the market was experiencing double digit growth because of the skyrocketing sales of soymilk, "energy bars," meal replacements (such as shakes) and meat substitutes. However in 2004, only soymilk showed increased sales. "Shoppers are definitely looking for the next big thing in soy foods," says industry spokesman Peter Golbitz of Soyatech. "Some company, somewhere needs to make a bold move similar to the one that White Wave made in 1996 when it moved its Silk brand soymilk into the dairy case next to cow's milk."
As for those adverse news reports, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food came out in March. I've appeared on more than 100 radio shows and been quoted in numerous mainstream and alternative newspapers and magazines including the Washington Post, London Observer and Alternative Medicine. Titles like the "joy of soy" have become "the killjoy of soy." The National Soybean Association has responded to the book with stony silence but has sent Drs. Mark Messina, Mindy Kurzer and other soy industry spokespersons out on the road to hold press conferences about the "positive benefits of soy."
WORST NEW PRODUCT
It's called CocoVia TM and bills itself as a "revolutionary new line of heart-healthy snacks that combines real chocolate pleasure with ingredients formulated to promote a healthy heart." It's the latest Mars bar, but won't be sold with ordinary candy bars but in the healthy foods" sections of grocery stores, drug stores and mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart and Target.
Each CocoVia snack bar will contain a 1.5 grams of plant sterols, a type of plant estrogens found in soy oil. Sterols are widely promoted for their supposed cholesterol lowering effects and are used in a wide variety of "functional" foods such as "healthy" margarines, spreads and even some orange juices. Like isoflavones, the phytoestrogens found in soy protein, sterols can cause endocrine disruption throughout the body. The Australia/New Zealand Food Authority – though not our own FDA – requires that sterolcontaining functional foods" carry warning labels advising pregnant and lactating women, infants and children not to eat them. In fact, they aren't good for any of us.
ALLERGY ALERT
Most brands of cod liver oil contain a soy-based vitamin E as a preservative. That's not a problem for most people but could be life threatening for some highly allergic individuals. (One molecule of soy protein in the soy oil could cause hyper sensitive people to go into anaphylactic shock.) What's the best solution? I recommend Dr. Ron's Cod Liver Oil, which uses rosemary as a preservative. I'll be offering it on my new website www.soyfreesolutions.com, which is coming soon. In the meantime, you can get it directly from Dr. Ron Schmid at www.drrons.com. When you order, please be sure to mention my name.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Dear Dr. Kaayla, In 1999 I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on medication but my thyroid remains low and I feel sluggish even to this day. After an article alerted me to the problems with soy protein, I found your website and began to realize that I'm a victim of damage to the thyroid. I care about my health, have mostly been a vegetarian and been eating soy every day for more than 8 years. I stopped eating soy right away but am desperate to know if there is anything else I can do. I would greatly appreciate your advice. Help! --- Janice
Dear Janice: I'm a clinical nutritionist and not an MD so I can't give you medical advice. However, if I were in your situation I would adopt an omnivorous diet such as is recommended in the book Eat Fat/Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Despite its title, it's not just for people who need to lose weight and contains the information we all need to attain optimum health and high energy. Coconut oil and coconut milk, discussed extensively in the book, nourish the thyroid. If I were suffering from thyroid problems, I would not only avoid soy but avoid other estrogenic foods such as flax oil and flax seeds, clover and alfalfa sprouts, products containing sterols and all supplements containing isoflavones. Many health conscious people take flax oil for omega 3s but a far better choice is cod liver oil, which includes readymade EPA and DHA fatty acids as well as much needed Vitamin A and D.
Hi, I have come across an article about the down side of soy . I have an almost 9 year old daughter who has been on soy formula and soy products since birth. She is lactose intolerant and dislikes meat. Over the past year or so, she has started going through puberty and complains about weight gain, despite getting lots of exercise playing soccer. She also complains about being tired and has angry outbursts for no obvious reason. Do you believe these symptoms are related to soy? If so, what can be done? Can you help us get her tested? -- Diane
Dear Diane, There is a massive evidence linking the plant estrogens in soy formula and soy foods to premature puberty, thyroid disorders, moodiness, anger and other physical and psychological problems. I discuss these in depth in my book The Whole Soy Story. Here's what you can do now:
1) Find an MD who specializes in thyroid health and who looks beyond standard blood tests and considers "optimal" versus "normal" thyroid values. Have this doctor evaluate your daughter's thyroid health. Doctors knowledgeable about the dangers of soy almost certainly will advise avoiding all soy as well as other estrogenic foods (see question above).
2)Have your doctor or other health practitioner run a hair mineral analysis test to check for likely zinc deficiency and toxic levels of copper. Zinc deficiency is the likeliest reason your daughter dislikes meat. Not eating meat contributes to zinc deficiency and continues the vicious cycle. People who have eaten a lot of soy often show toxic levels of copper plus an imbalanced copper and zinc ratio. This needs to be checked as it is one possible explanation for mood swings and angry outbursts.
3)Because your daughter was on soy formula during the first six months of her life, have her tested for manganese toxicity. Toxic levels of manganese harm the brain and contribute to ADD/ADHD as well as a variety of behavioral problems, including anger and violence.
Although it may be impossible to reverse the long-term effects caused by the plant estrogens in soy formula, zinc can be supplemented and toxic levels of copper and manganese can be removed, greatly improving many behavioral symptoms. If you do not have a trusted holistic MD, naturopathic doctor or clinical nutritionist where you live, I can work by phone and order appropriate lab tests. For more information about my fees and services, go to the "About Dr. Kaayla Daniel" section of my website www.wholesoystory.com.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
The Fluoride Deception by Chris Bryson (Seven Stories Press, 2004)
Chris Bryson refutes the mass of commercially motivated lies and propaganda about fluoride, giving us the facts and motivation we need to make the effort to keep this poisonous substance out of our lives. The challenge is that fluoride is nearly everywhere -- not only in most toothpastes and tap water but in processed, packaged, prepared and fast foods. Most of these are either manufactured using fluoridated tap water or include it as an ingredient. Surprisingly, this is also true of some "health foods," with high levels of fluoride found in soy protein isolate, a key ingredient in energy bars, shake powders, veggie burgers and infant formula.
Babies on soy formula are at special risk not only for developing dental fluorosis but the mental fluorosis of ADD/ADHD. Although the fluoride levels of both soy and dairy formulas exceed that of breast milk, only soy formulas exceed safe levels when reconstituted with non-fluoridated distilled water. The levels increase considerably when parents reconstitute soy formula with fluoridated tap water. Worse, these soy bottle-fed infants are simultaneously exposed to high levels of neurotoxic aluminum, cadmium, manganese and plant estrogens. It's bad enough to expose adults to fluoride with its wellestablished links to cancer, thyroid and other endocrine system disorders but unconscionable to expose infants and children whose brain, reproductive and other systems are developing.
I urge readers to buy extra copies of this book, give them to public health officials, urge them to stop promoting fluoride as beneficial to our health, warn the public about its toxicity and to press for the legislation needed to remove this waste product from our water supply.
Extracted from:
WHOLE SOY UPDATES Newsletter #6 – October 15, 2005© copyright 2005 Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN
posted by Chris Gupta on Tuesday October 25 2005
URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2005/10/25/soy_no_health_panacea_but_a_risk_does_not_prevent_cancer_etc.htm
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