Soy Products May Affect Fertility

SOY PRODUCTS MAY AFFECT FERTILITY

Researchers estimate that soy is present in 70% of supermarket products. Most fast food chains also use it because soy is a cheap source of protein and enables food industries to claim higher protein content on labels.

Manufacturers utilize every part of the bean. The husk is used as a source of fiber in breads, cereals and many snacks. The oil extracted from soybeans is used for salad dressings, cooking oils and margarine. During oil extraction, the bean also produces a substance called lecithin. Lecithin helps fat mix with water and prevents ingredients in foods from separating.

The soy industry skyrocketed after being marketed for its alleged health benefits: lowering cholesterol, helping menstrual symptoms, and lowing the risk of osteoporosis and some cancers.  However, research has linked soy to diminishing fertility in men and has linked the phyto-estrogen found in soy to an increased risk of some cancers. Other researchers claim that soy damages brain function, causes hidden developmental abnormalities in infants, and contributes to the early onset of puberty in women.

Research by Dr. Lorraine Anderson, a specialist in reproductive medicine at Belfast’s Royal Maternity Hospital, has shown soy’s adverse effect on male fertility.  In laboratory studies, Anderson discovered that the seminal liquid surrounding slower-moving sperm samples contained chemicals called isoflavones, also known as phyto-estrogens because they mimic the female hormone estrogen.  Phyto-estrogens are so highly concentrated in soy that infants who are fed soy formulas receive an amount of estrogen equivalent to FIVE birth control pills every day.  Dr. Bill Helferish, a professor of food at the University of Illinois, has discovered a possible link between the growth of certain breast cancer tumors that require soy and the chemicals found in soy.

Despite this research and health risks associated with the phyto-estrogen in soy, the FDA issued the health claim that 25 grams of soy per day lowers cholesterol and reduces heart disease.  Two senior food scientists within the FDA, Dr. Daniel Sheehan and Dr. Daniel Doerge, protested, but were prohibited from commenting publicly on the health risks of soy after they wrote a letter to the department of Health and Human Sciences.  In May 2003 the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food issued a report that stated, "In 1940, adverse effects on fertility were observed in animals that had been grazing on phyto-estrogen-rich plants. In the early 1980s, it became clear that phytoestrogens could produce biological effects in humans.

"SOURCE: The Observer, November 7, 2004