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Are We Experimenting on Our Children with Soy Formula?
- blacksmith_tb 9y agoClearly worth investigation, but when I hear arguments about soy being a serious endocrine disruptor, I can't help but wonder about the hundreds of millions of people throughout Asia eating it daily...
- cageface 9y agoThere are two different kinds of estrogen receptors. Up to a certain amount of soy it affects mainly the receptors not associated with harmful effects. So a certain amount of soy per day is safe & healthy. But beyond that it can be problematic. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/ https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-soy-is-too-much/ It should be noted that feeding babies milk from cows is an "experiment" too and there's a lot of evidence it's not good for them.
- mcone 9y agoSomething to note is that 93 percent of soy grown in the United States is genetically modified [0]. [0]: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption.aspx https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetical...
- losteric 9y agoAlso worth noting what kind of GE we're talking about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_soybean https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_soybean tl;dr: mostly pesticide resistance. That has significant environmental/economic consequences, but those edits (probably) don't change how soy interacts with endocrine receptors.
- Danihan 9y ago>That has significant environmental/economic consequences, but those edits (probably) don't change how soy interacts with endocrine receptors. Pesticide resistant crops being completely doused in glyphosate right before harvest probably does have an impact on health though. http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/ITX_2013_06_04_Seneff.pdf http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/ITX_2013_06_04_Seneff.pdf
- losteric 9y agoAbsolutely, but that's not isolated to soybeans. Plus we've been abusing toxic pesticides for decades - that's just greedy human shortsightedness.
- boyaka 9y agoIve only heard of herbicide resistance, aka roundup ready. The bt modification (Cry1Ac protein from Bacillus thuringiensis), afaik, is itself a pesticide, or produces pesticide. Edit: I suppose "pest" could refer to weeds and insects? I may have been thinking insecticide.
- Falling3 9y agoI don't know how different the number is for the US specifically but around 85% of soy grown is used for animal feed. I don't know what the intersection of GMO and animal feed is, but anecdotally, a lot of the soy I see for human consumption is non-gmo. But that raises the question of what soy's GMO status has to do with its affect on the endocrine system?
- gervase 9y agoIs there any evidence to suggest that genetically-modified soy has higher or lower phytoestrogen content as compared with non-GMO soy?
- dp-tyvek 9y agoSoy (and other crops) are modified to be resistant to pesticides and pests, so I presume it makes no difference for their phytoestrogen contents. For example, glyphosate ("Roundup") resistant crops are only modified to have a different version (which still preforms the same function) of the enzyme that would otherwise have been inhibited by glyphosate, IIRC.
- t3soro 9y agoAsians who eat much soy probably have evolved a different response to it than other populations. Similar to how northern Europeans evolved better lactose digestion than the rest of the world.
- dgfgfdagasdfgfa 9y agoProbably? On what basis?
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- biggerbistro 9y agoMany of the forms of soy eaten in Asia are fermented or otherwise chemically changed to the point that their negative effects could be less pronounced. Soy sauce, miso and natto are some of many examples.
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- jadell 9y agoThis is addressed explicitly in the article: > Cultures with a long-time reliance on soy protein apparently realized this early, Patisaul adds. For instance, the compounds in soy are known to interfere with the body’s uptake of iodine, an element necessary for healthy functioning of the hormones produced by the thyroid gland. Chinese farmers first cultivated soybeans about 1100 B.C., so it’s not surprising, she notes, that many Asian diets gradually evolved to contain foods that contain extra high levels of iodine, such as seaweeds.
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- r2d2klapa 9y agoSo, is there another alternative besides soy and cow milk for feeding babies?
- angersock 9y agoHuman breast milk? You know, as nature intended?
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- r2d2klapa 9y agoOf course. My daughter is 18 months old and fed exclusively with breast milk. We want to wean her soon, so we are looking for alternatives.
- jdmichal 9y agoMy son is 17 months and has been on zero milk or formula since around 12 months. We were weaning him already, but he went cold turkey by himself after he caught a 24-hour stomach bug and vomited milk all day... We started with blended foods around 6 months I think, and added in small solid foods once he got teeth. At this point, we give him whole berries or veggie chunks and he'll take small bites and munch it down. He's getting some molars breaching now; once they fully emerge we'll start working on chewing larger pieces. I should probably not be as excited about this as I am...
- taberiand 9y agoAs a parent, it is very exciting and a joy to see them grow and reach their milestones.
- taberiand 9y agoSolids and water?
- bitJericho 9y ago
- deft 9y agoMost animal feed is soy-based. What effect does that have? Also, why would a vegan/vegetarian be against breast milk exactly? And finally: does anyone have any info on the effect of large soy consumption on males? I've been vegetarian for 6 months and trying to go vegan (mostly for past 1.5 months) so my soy consumption is at an all time high. Thanks!
- overcast 9y agoIt's pretty common knowledge that soy contains phytoestrogens, which behave similar to estrogen.
- deusum 9y agoIt's less common knowledge that this is a myth.
- undersuit 9y agoSoybeans contain phytoestrogens. The myths, truths, and unknowns revolve around how phytoestrogens affect humans.
- Johnny_Brahms 9y agoThey are similar to estrogen,but not as biologically active. If they bind to hormone receptors, they are just as likely to block biologically more active estrogens. Whether they make your estrogen levels higher or lower depends on how high activity you had in the first place.
- Johnny_Brahms 9y agoThey are similar to estrogen,but not as biologically active. If they bind to hormone receptors, they are just as likely to block biologically more active estrogens. Whether they make your estrogen levels higher or lower depends on how high activity you had in the first place.
- deft 9y agoI know that. I read the article. What's the point of your comment other than restating the article premise? You answered none of my questions.
- jobu 9y agoThat whole article is written like irresponsible click-bait journalism. After raising four kids I can take shit like this with a grain of salt, but as a new parent I would've freaked out and overreacted. When two of my kids were babies they had bad reactions to normal formula, and weren't gaining enough weight with breastmilk. Soy formula was the only other option and not giving it to them likely would've been worse than any hormone issues.
- bitJericho 9y agoSame here. My son couldn't hold down a bottle. Soy was the only option for him and he turned out fine.
- delinka 9y agoMy daughter couldn't even have soy milk. Nutramigen is where we ended up for her. Stuff's expensive, but it worked well for her.
- gautamdivgi 9y agoOne of my kids was allergic to soy and caesin (not lactose). So, we had to go on a hunt for low caesin/caesin free formulas, which aren't available readily in the US. We found this one called HiP organic which satisfied our need - it's a German brand.
- nikolay 9y agoIt's "casein", not "caesin".
- CodeWriter23 9y agoNo, the other option was to ignore the pediatrician with his one size fits all weight gain curve and continue breastfeeding. We told our ped to talk to the hand unless they could demonstrate a REAL problem. Kid is the smartest 8-yo I've seen.
- warrenm 9y agoYes. The question is not are we experimenting - the question is what experiment are we running
- sebbean 9y agoyep
- fgandiya 9y agoA tangent from the article itself, but isn't the parenting itself an experiment?
- fiatjaf 9y agoBy "formula" you mean fake milk?
- PerfectElement 9y agoNo, formula is what we give babies that for one reason or another cannot be breastfed.
- wnevets 9y agoIf soy wasn't being subsidized by the american tax payers would it be in so many products?
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