Two senior US government scientists, Drs. Daniel Doerge and Daniel Sheehan, have revealed that chemicals in soy could increase the risk of breast cancer in women, brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants.



* The scientists decided to break ranks with colleagues in the FDA and oppose its decision last year to approve a health claim that soy reduced the risk of heart disease.



* They wrote an internal protest letter warning of 28 studies revealing toxic effects of soy, mostly focusing on chemicals in soy known as isoflavones, which have effects similar to the female hormone estrogen.



* They claim that research has shown a clear link between soy and the potential for adverse effects in humans.



* Soy may lead to health problems in animals including altering sexual development of fetuses and causing thyroid disorders.



* Some studies show that chemicals in soy may increase the chances of estrogen-dependent breast cancer.



According to their letter:



* There is abundant evidence that some of the isoflavones found in soy demonstrate toxicity in estrogen sensitive tissues and in the thyroid.’



* During pregnancy in humans, isoflavones per se could be a risk factor for abnormal brain and reproductive tract development.’



According to one of the scientists, parents who give their children soy milk or formulas “are exposing their children to chemicals which we know have adverse effects in animals. It’s like doing a large uncontrolled and unmonitored experiment on infants.’



The soy industry insists that the adverse effects seen in animals do not apply to humans.



The Guardian August 13, 2000



COMMENT: As time goes on I suspect the real truth regarding soy will begin to emerge in even the traditional media. If my schedule ever opens up, I plan on promoting this message more widely and I have even reserved the domain www.nosoy.com. If you do not yet understand the reason why soy should not be considered a health food please review the following links:



The ABC television news program 20/20 aired a feature story on June 8, 2000, on the dangers of soy. It was great to see some in the mainstream media finally picking up on this story.



Besides the articles linked below, another good resource for information on the dangers of soy is The Weston A. Price Foundation, which has a goal to achieve a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.