Studies Suggest Soy Affects Fertility

Soy Based Infant Formula May Cause Infertility

February 2, 2011

healthtruthrevealed.com - Soy has penetrated the food supply in a bad way. It can be found in nearly three quarters of processed foods used as a filler for meats, in vegetable oil, mac and cheese, salad dressings and as an emulsifier in nearly everything. The soy industry has become a powerhouse and with doctors touting it’s benefits for a low-calorie diet its demand grew beyond tofu lovers.

But those glory days for soy are slowing down as research in the passing years has linked it to numerous problems such as cancer, low-testosterone levels and of course, infertility.

There is still debate going on about whether soy products such as tofu, tempeh and edamame also pose such risks since these products have been used as a part of healthy diets for centuries. But what if certain of the soy found in processed foods is that it is not going to hold any of the potential nutritional benefits and instead poses major risks to health. This is especially true since most soy consumed today is genetically modified and doused heavily with herbicides and pesticides, then its often put through a hydrolyzing process turning the soy into something that really isn’t soy anymore, just a chemical sludge.

“The extraction process of hydroliysis involves boiling in a vat of acid (e.g., sulfuric acid) and then neutralizing the solution with a caustic soda. The reultant sludge is scraped off the top and allowed to dry. In addition to soy protein it contains free-form excitoxic amino acids (e.g., MSG) and other potentially harmful chemical processes described above. There is a possibility that gentically-manipulated bacteria may be used.

“The food industry sometimes uses large amount of hydrolyzed proteins as a “taste enhancer” because it contains significant amounts of MSG (monosodium glutamate). This is what is known in the food industry as “Clean Labels” — adding MSG to food, without having to list it as “MSG” on the label. “In almost all cases, hydrolyzed soy protein contains a significant amount of genetically-manipulated soy. The hydrolyzed protein products currently added to foods should be considered a detriment to one’s health. There are much healthier sources of soy protein and soy nutrients.”- soyinfo.com

People are repeatedly exposing themselves to these harmful chemicals while consuming soy, under the guise that it is a diet enhancing alternative and a beneficial ingredient when added to other foods. This belief was fueled by the American Heart Association’s approval of it in the year 2000 along with the FDA touting"

“Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.”

I wonder if they were wearing their ‘I’m with stupid’ t-shirts when they made that move. In 2006, the AHA withdrew it’s pro-soy proclamations, but quietly, leaving many people in the dark about the risks.

Studies continue to produce evidence of it’s issues though, alternative news sources have been reporting on the benefits and dangers of soy for years; like this past article from Health Freedoms, The War on Soy: Why the ‘Miracle Food’ May be a Health Risk and Environmental Nightmare. Unless you are consciously avoiding it, chances are you’re eating more soy then you think. Unfortunately the consumers focused on in the article below have no idea or control of what their fed and they are the most susceptible to it’s harm.

Soy has been used as the go-to alternative for lactose sensitive babies for years but it is now being called out for the dangers it poses. In a study conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences they reveal the effects of plant estrogen found in soybean on the reproductivity of mice and the results have spurred the NIEHS to advise that we scrap soy formulas altogether and allow no more than just a few servings per week for those under 18 years of age.

Santa Fe, NM: Research published in this month’s Biology of Reproduction shows that genistein, a plant estrogen found in soybeans, can disrupt the development of the ovaries of newborn female mice, causing reproductive problems and infertility.

“This is a wakeup call for parents and pediatricians,” says Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. “Soy infant formula contains high levels of phytoestrogens that can adversely affect the development of a baby’s ovaries and other reproductive organs. This study adds to a growing body of evidence linking soy genistein and other phytoestrogens to endocrine disruption. Clearly soy consumption must be considered a factor in America’s epidemic of infertility.”

The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), involved giving injections of soy genistein to three different groups of female mice during the first five days of their lives. The researchers found adverse effects at all levels, including at doses comparable to the amount of genistein found in soy infant formulas given to human infants. Mice treated with the highest dose were infertile and mice treated with the lower doses were subfertile, meaning they had fewer pregnancies and fewer pups per litter. Mice receiving the highest level of genistein showed a high percentage of oocyte (egg cell) clustering, making fertilization much less likely to occur.

“We knew that genistein was linked to reproductive problems later in life but we wanted to find out when the damage occurred,” says Retha R. Newbold, a developmental endocrinologist at NIEHS. “The study showed that genistein caused alterations to the ovaries during early development, which is partly responsible for the reproductive problems found in adult mice.” A previous NIEHS study showed that newborn mice given genistein grew up to experience irregular menstrual cycles, erratic ovulation and other problems indicative of infertility.

“I don’t think we can dismiss the possibility that these phytoestrogens are having an effect on the human population,” said Wendy Jefferson , PhD, lead author of the study. NIEHS director Dr. David Schwartz commented, “Although we are not entirely certain about how these animal studies on genistein translate to the human population, there is some reason to be cautious.”

“The NIEHS is not alone in recommending caution,” says Dr. Daniel. “Last July the Israeli Health Ministry warned that babies should not receive soy formula and that children up to age 18 should eat soy foods or drink soy milk no more than once per day to a maximum of three times per week. The ministry was most concerned about adverse effects on fertility. The French government has also taken these dangers seriously, and is now implementing regulations that will require manufacturers to remove most of the soy estrogens from soy formula and from soy foods targeted to children under 3.”

The evidence is mounting that soy formula puts infants at risk for reproductive problems, including infertility,” says Dr. Daniel.

“I hope this important new study will encourage the United States to follow the examples set by the Israeli and French governments and issue warnings that will discourage the sale of soy formula. A good policy is ‘Better safe than sorry.’”

Could Eating Too Much Soy Be Bad for You?

New studies suggest that eating large amounts of soy's estrogen-mimicking compounds might reduce fertility in women, trigger early puberty and disrupt development of fetuses and children. The Arbor Clinical Review for Nutrition came out with three studies and a review looking at the question: "Will Eating Soy Foods Lower A Man's Sperm Counts And Affect His Fertility?" There's isoflavones in soy and phytoestrogens in soy that act as weak estrogen molecules in the body, and there's been some concern and question whether this can affect sperm count and production, which is dependant on testosterone. So there have been some interesting studies.

November 3, 2009

Environmental Health News - Seeking healthful foods, Americans are eating more soy than ever. But recent research with animals shows that consuming large amounts could have harmful effects on female fertility and reproductive development.

Soy is ubiquitous in the American diet. Over a quarter of all infant formula sold is made with it, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration promotes it in foods to reduce the risk of heart disease. School lunch programs across the country are even adding soy to hamburger patties.

Many of soy’s health benefits have been linked to isoflavones—plant compounds that mimic estrogen. But animal studies suggest that eating large amounts of those estrogenic compounds might reduce fertility in women, trigger premature puberty and disrupt development of fetuses and children.

Although most studies looking at the hormone-disrupting properties of genistein, the main isoflavone in soy, have been conducted in rodents, many scientists believe the findings may be relevant to humans as well.

“We know that too much genistein is not a good thing for a developing mouse; it may not be a good thing for a developing child,” said Retha Newbold, a developmental biologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

More definitive answers, she said, may lay ahead in future long-term human studies.

Soy consumption in the U.S. has skyrocketed since the early 1990s, with soy food sales climbing from $300 million in 1992 to over $4 billion in 2008. Clinical studies have shown that eating soy can lower cholesterol as well as the risk for certain types of breast and prostate cancer.

But Newbold and other researchers are not convinced that eating more soy is healthy for everyone. Infants fed soy formula ingest six to 11 times more genistein on a bodyweight basis than the level known to cause hormonal effects in adults.

“Giving an infant or child estrogen is never a good thing,” said Newbold.

Though studies on the harmful effects of soy isoflavones in people have been limited and inconclusive, there’s strong evidence from animal studies that genistein alters reproduction and embryonic development, according to Newbold, a co-author of two of the new rodent studies.

In some lab studies, animals were fed doses similar to what people might get from a high-soy diet, which would be roughly 25 or more grams per day. Blood levels of genistein in people eating a lot of soy are generally in the range of one to five micromoles, or about one milligram of genistein circulating in the body of an average adult.

One study showed that genistein led to reduced fertility and abnormal embryo development in female mice. They were fed one to ten micromoles in their drinking water for four days. The highest doses were associated with fewer eggs that were successfully fertilized and increased cell death in developing embryos. Wen-Hsiung Chan at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan conducted the study, which was published in July in the journal Reproductive Toxicology.

In another study, young female rats were fed high, medium, or low doses of genistein. Those fed the largest quantities from birth to weaning had reproductive effects later, including early puberty and irregular estrous cycles (similar to the menstrual cycle in humans). High doses also led to smaller litters.

The rats were tested before and during pregnancy, and then several generations of their offspring were examined. The study, by a team including Newbold and Barry Delclos of the National Center for Toxicological Research, was published in the journal in April.

In male rats, high doses led to abnormal growth of breast cells, but did not cause cancer or the feminization of reproductive organs, according to another study by Newbold and others published in November.

In those two studies, the rodents were fed at least five times more genistein than the amount that people would be exposed to through food, supplements or infant formula. Such a high dose was used because they wanted to test the effects of the maximum amount that could be ingested by the rats without severely limiting their ability to reproduce.

The growing body of research in recent years raises questions about possible risks to women trying to get pregnant, as well as to developing fetuses and infants who consume large amounts of genistein in formula, some researchers said.

The findings trouble Heather Patisaul, a developmental biologist at North Carolina State University, and others who study soy's impact on development.

“Our reproductive system and the rat reproductive system aren’t that different. The same hormones are involved," Patisaul said.

While any impacts on adult fertility are likely reversed by eating less soy, impacts on the reproductive tracts of infants could be permanent.

But to date, only one study has looked at the long-term effects of soy formula on reproductive development in people. It found that women fed soy formula as infants had slightly longer periods and more menstrual cramping than those who were not fed soy formula.

Brain development, which begins in the womb and continues through puberty, also may be altered by estrogen in soy, Patisaul said. It is controlled by a well-organized combination of genes and hormones. Introducing compounds that mimic estrogen could throw off the balance, with long-term impacts on behavior and brain chemistry.

Studying the health outcomes of fetal or early infant exposure can be difficult, according to Benson Akingbemi, a developmental biologist at Auburn University. Reproductive changes are often not apparent until adulthood.

Another difficulty is that infant formulas vary in isoflavone content depending on the type of soybean used and the conditions—such as soil type—that the beans were grown in, making dosage very hard to control.

In 2008, the American Association of Pediatricians reviewed all current scientific studies of the effects of soy formula on infants. There is no conclusive evidence that it harms infant development, reproduction or endocrine function, stated the American Association of Pediatricians.

Based on current research, “no changes in infant feeding practices are recommended,” wrote Haley Curtis, a scientific affairs specialist at the International Formula Council, in an email. “Infant formula is safe and nutritious.”

But Akingbemi believes that limiting exposure wouldn’t hurt.

“The current scientific evidence isn’t enough to say that exposure to these compounds is toxic, but we also can’t say with certainty that there is no effect,” he said.

Some researchers believe that waiting for proof from long-term human data may come at a price.

Patisaul compares the effects of genistein to Bisphenol A, or BPA, the estrogenic compound found in plastic bottles that many scientists suspect can harm brain and reproductive development.

“Genistein does the same thing and yet we are supposed to be eating tons of it because it’s supposedly healthy—it just doesn’t make sense,” she said.

Why Soy is Bad for You