The take home is obvious.
Babies consuming soy based formula are overdosing on specific hormones
that directly influence development.
This is clearly unwise. The
obvious fix is to switch over wholly to at least mostly to milk products which
we do know is safe.
The science here is pretty clear and though it is true that
most can tolerate the formula, my question is why should we tolerate it? It will still produce stress and the
possibility exists of unknown effects such as allergies.
Thus get it out of your shopping list.
Soy-Based Formula
Linked To Seizures In Children
April 1, 2014
Dr. Marianna Pochelli
http://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/04/01/soy-based-formula-linked-seizures-children/
Phytoestrogens in soy-based formulas are known to carry
greater risks than benefits for infants. Babies fed soy-based formula had
13,000 to 22,0000 times more isoflavones in their blood than babies fed
milk-based formula. New data published in PLoS One shows that consumption of soy formula may also
be associated with a higher rate of seizures in children.
True cancer of the prostate, carcinoma, is seldom seen in
infants and children, but other forms of malignant tumors may develop and more
cases are appearing in developed nations where the link appears to center
around soy infant formula.
While many claims have been made about the health
benefits of these estrogen-like compounds, animal studies indicate that soy
(both conventional and organic) contain powerful endocrine disrupters that
alter growth patterns and cause sterility. Toxicologists estimate that an
infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent of at
least five birth control pills per day. By contrast, almost no phytoestrogenshave been
detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother
consumes soy products. Scientists
have known for years that isoflavones in soy products can depress thyroid
function, causing autoimmune thyroid disease and even cancer of the thyroid.
Led by Cara Westmark from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, USA, the team explained that the investigation was sparked
by mouse studies of a drug that, it was hoped, would inhibit seizures by
blocking signals that excite nerve cells.
“It was pure serendipity that we happened to look at
soy,” Westmark noted.
Findings from an initial study on mice led the team to
investigate the links between soy and seizures in a group of nearly 2,000
infants fed either dairy or soy based formula.
The findings showed that children with autism who were
fed soy formula had 2.6 times as many febrile seizures as the children fed
non-soy formula in the database. That means 4.2% of the soy group had a
seizure associated with a fever, compared to 1.6% of the dairy group, said the
team.
“Soy is a widespread ingredient in many food products and
25 percent of infant formulas are soy based, so this is something that needs to
be studied,” commented Westmark – who noted that the results of the study do
not mean that autistic children who eat soy-based formula are going to develop
seizures, and that the vast majority of infants in both dietary groups did
not have seizures.
Pediatricians are noticing greater numbers of boys
whose physical maturation is delayed, or does not occur at all, including lack
of development of the sexual organs. Learning disabilities, especially in
male children, have reached epidemic proportions. Soy infant feeding-which
floods the bloodstream with female hormones that could inhibit the effects of
male hormones-cannot be ignored as a possible cause for these tragic
developments.
Other problems that have
been anecdotally associated with children of both sexes who were fed soy-based
formula include extreme emotional behavior, asthma, immune system problems,
pituitary insufficiency, thyroid disorders and irritable bowel syndrome.
Two studies by University
of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor Sharon Donovan show that
the soy isoflavone genistein, in amounts present in commercial soy infant
formulas, may inhibit intestinal cell growth in babies.
Donovan said it’s an
important question to ask because almost 25 percent of formula-fed babies in
the United States consume soy formula. Although babies on soy formula appear to
grow normally, these formulas contain very high concentrations of genistein,
from 32 to 45 milligrams, which is higher than the amount found to affect
menstrual cycles in women, she said.
“I’m struck by the fact
that these babies are receiving isoflavones at such high concentrations,” Donovan
said. “Formula is the sole source of nutrition for these infants for the first
four to six months of life, when so many important organ systems are
developing.”
From Mice To Humans
The team’s interest in
soy and seizures came after they tried to simplify the initial mouse study by
replacing the standard lab chow, which had a variable composition, with a diet
containing purified ingredients. Unexpectedly, that diet reduced the rate of
seizures by 50% compared to standard chow, said Westmark.
“We were intrigued that a
dietary alteration was as effective as many medicines in reducing seizure
incidence and wanted to pursue that finding,” she explained. “We found that the
main difference between the diets was the protein source. The standard diet was
soy-based, while the purified diet was casein, or dairy, based.”
Westmark then began to
look for the effect in people, and decided to focus on infants who may consume
nothing but formula. Knowing that people with autism have a higher rate of
seizures, Westmark turned to a database from the Simons Foundation Autism
Research Initiative (SFARI).
Using the SFARI database,
the team analysed data from 1,949 children fed either soy-based of dairy-based
formula.
“There was a 2.6-fold
higher rate of febrile seizures, a 2.1-fold higher rate of epilepsy comorbidity
and a 4-fold higher rate of simple partial seizures in the autistic children
fed soy-based formula,” revealed the team.
“No statistically
significant associations were found with other outcomes including: IQ, age of
seizure onset, infantile spasms and atonic, generalized tonic clonic, absence
and complex partial seizures,” they added.
The team also noted that the
soy-seizure link reached borderline significance among boys, who comprised
87% of the children described in the database.
Westmark added that while
the study has shown an association, there must be further clinical work to be
sure of causation.
“We can say that we have
a potential association between the use of soy-based formula and seizures in
autistic children; we can’t say that this is cause and effect,” said Westmark.
“We were fortunate to be
granted access to the SFARI database, but it was not set up to answer the
questions we were asking.”
About the Author
Dr. Marianna Pochelli is a Doctor of
Naturopathic Medicine specializing in the treatment of disease through
superfoods and herbal strategies. She actively promotes detoxification, colon
cleansing, and a vegetarian lifestyle using living foods as a platform to
health.
also
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Soy-formula-linked-to-seizures-in-children-with-autism
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