"Dark Side Of Soy Bean"

Infants are most vulnerable to damage from soy phytoestrogens Soy has been promoted as a miracle food that can prevent heart disease, fight cancer, and build strong bodies. Sales were in the $4 BILLIONS in 2004. Respected scientists warn that its benefits should be weighed against proven risks. Even researchers working for the soy industry admit that the "marketing is way ahead of the science." Yet the FDA approved a health claim for the soy and heart disease in 1999. I disregarded warnings from independent and government scientist and ignored hundreds of peer-reviewed studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, thyroid disorders, allergies, ADD/ADHD, reproductive problems, infertility, cognitive decline, cancer, and heart disease. The FDA ruling proved such a financial boon that sales increased 200% between 2000 and 2004. The truth is now starting to appear. Late July, The Israeli Health Ministry warned that children under 16 should eat soy foods no more that once per day and a maximum of 3 times a week, that babies never receive soy formula, and that adults exercise caution when consuming soy products... The Ministry took its advice from a 23 member committee of nutritionists, oncologists, pediatricians who spent a year examining the evidence. July of 2005 the Cornell University's Program of breast Cancer and Environmental Risk factors warned that soy food consumption can increase breast cell multiplication, increasing risk for breast cancer. In 2002, the British Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in food, Consumer Products and Environment" which found no merit in most of the health claims of soy. They identified infants on soy formula, vegetarians who use soy as a primary source of protein, and adults trying to prevent disease with soy foods and soy supplements as all being at risk for thyroid damage. This can be confusing since Asian peoples have used soy for centuries and many people believe this keeps them free of most Western diseases. But while Asians show lower rates of breast, prostate and colon cancers, they suffer higher rates of thyroid, pancreatic, liver, stomach and esophageal cancers. Asians also eat different soy foods from the ones now appearing on American tables...miso, natto, temped, tofu, tamari and shoyu...instead of energy bars, soy shakes, soymik, veggie burgers, TVP chili and other meat or dairy substitutes. These quintessentially Western products are manufactured using high-tech industrialized processes that destroy protein quality, reduce vitamin levels, and leave toxic residues and carcinogens... Making matters worse, much of today's soybean crop is genetically modified. GM beans carry higher levels of anti-nutrients, toxins and allergens that regular soybeans and have caused vast damage to the environment. Indeed, most of the Amazon Rain Forest has been lost to GM soybean farming than to beef grown for fast-food franchises. Most dangerous of all, soybeans naturally contain high levels of phytoestrogens. Promotes as safe hormone replacement therapy, these plant estrogens can cause significant endocrine disruption, leading to weight gain, fatigue, brain fog and depression. Soy foods also have a "contraceptive effect" a fact known to scientists since the 1940"s. For women, it alters menstrual cycles, causing hormonal changes indicative of infertility. For men it lowers testosterone levels, quantity and quality of sperm and sex drive. Couples who desire to have children are wise to cut out soy. Because of their small size and stage of development, infants remain most vulnerable to damage from soy phytoestrogens. Soy formula now represents 25% of the bottle-fed market in America and yet it's been linked to thyroid damage, premature puberty in girls, delayed or arrested puberty in boys, and other disorders, Soy formula also contains toxic levels of manganese...50 to 80 times the amount found in diary formula or breast milk. The bottom line is the safety of soy has yet to be proven. Unanswered questions have let the Israeli Health Ministry, the Swiss Federal Health Service, the British Dietetic association and others to warn parents and pediatricians that soy infant formula should only be used as a last resort. If this isn't enough reason not to eat soy, I give up. We are putting so much toxic materials in our bodies and then wondering why we are so sick so soon and have so many diseases. Best of Health, Margie - "The Arthritis Lady" arthritislady@yoursuccesslinks.com www.yoursuccesslinks.com