Arutz-7 News: Sunday, August 1, 2004

Humana, the German parent company of baby-formula distributor Remedia, has agreed to pay $100 million to the 17 families of children who died or whose health suffered as a result of a vitamin-deficient soy-based baby formula. Israel's Channel 2 television station reported that the damages would be the largest ever paid in Israel's history.  A scandal erupted last November following the deaths of two babies and serious harm to 15 more, as well as less serious consequences to many others. The babies suffered because the formula was missing a critical vitamin, B1. Humana said it had removed the vitamin in the mistaken assumption that the soy-base of the formula provided sufficient amounts of the nutrient.  The 17 families whose infants died or were left with permanent disabilities will now receive compensation. In response to the announced settlement, the families stated that the money is less significant than the harm that was done. They said they must be assured that they will receive all the care required during the lives of their children.

Read the British Dietetic Associations position on the use of soya protein for infants Here.

Infants consuming soy formula have high levels of circulating isoflavones. These are an order of magnitude greater than the levels of isoflavones which have been shown to produce physiological effects in adult women consuming a high soy diet.

Against this generally positive view there is an increasing number of recent reports that suggest that in experimental animals, phytoestrogens have adverse effects with respect to carcinogenesis, reproductive function, immune function, and thyroid disease.

Despite the absence of adequate scientific research that quantifies the level of risk to infants, most would argue for a precautionary approach to be taken in situations where there are potential developmental effects from the consumption of pharmacologically active compounds in infancy and childhood.

Full Abstract Here

As you can see from the abstract alone, Dr Tuohy states that there is an "absence of adequate scientific research that quantifies the level of risk to infants..." and advocates a PRECAUTIONARY approach to soy infant formula.  Surely a PRECAUTIONARY  approach to this issue is not to feed our children these chemicals that may have adverse effects on their lives at all, until they have been proven otherwise! Again, to paraphrase Dr Tuohy

"there is an increasing number of recent reports that suggest that in experimental animals,
phytoestrogens have adverse effects with respect to

carcinogenesis,

reproductive function,

 immune function,

 and thyroid disease."

The evidence of potentially adverse effects is increasing despite the overwhelmingly disproportionate funding opportunities towards research into positive effects of soy products (refer Here and Here).

We believe regulatory agencies should advocate the PRECAUTIONARY approach and completely ban the consumption of these products by infants until the substances causing the types of adverse effects outlined by soyonlineservice have either been removed or proven completely safe for human consumption.

After all, soyonlineservice   was urging a precautionary approach in the New Zealand Medical Journal in 1995 "It would be prudent for general supermarket sales to be stopped and information to be given to physicians" Neither happened and therefore for over eight years countless babies have been put at unnecessary risk.