I don't know. These complaints sound suspiciously like all the articles that came out against hi-protein, lo carb diets about ten or fifteen years ago. Doctors - real doctors, with real degrees - came out and said, "You'll destroy your kidneys, you'll die of a heart attack, you'll increase your chances for stoke and diabetes." Lo, these many years later, the opposite has proven true.
Regarding soy isoflavons, the articles states as follows:
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animal studies indicate that they are powerful endocrine disrupters that alter growth patterns and cause sterility
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Later, the article implies the following:
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As for girls, an alarming number are entering puberty much earlier than normal, according to a recent study reported in the journal Pediatrics.
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The implication is that this is caused by the consuming of soy products. This is erroneous and quite misleading. The early onset of puberty has already been linked statistically both by medical and sociological experts with the increased use of human growth hormone in dairy and beef products.
General statements like that are not helpful. What kind of animal studies, done by whom and for how long? What kind of animals? Monkeys? Ape? Porcupines? Soy formula, tofu and soy-based meat substitutes have been on the market for almost 20 - 30 years now, plenty of time to establish a pattern of health history in human beings, particularly in developing infants and children. Where are those studies? And if the statement about puberty in girls is misleading, what else in these articles is subject to question.
I don't mean to be a nay-sayer, but I do believe in being
very cautious when it comes to accepting the word of people (or one person, in the form of one Sally Fallon, who is responsible for both articles) who seem to be very dedicated to getting other people to see it all their way. Let's stop and think for a second. I'm not saying soy isn't harmful. But who is Sally Fallon. What's her beef with soy (no pun intended)? Why should I take her word for the so-called "facts" she states in these two articles.
In 1992, there was a particularly vicious Internet campaign started against the makers of aspartame by one woman who had had a not so pleasant reaction to it. By the time she was done, the rumor had spread that aspartame was invented by the military as a chemical weapon. Aspartame may not be the healthiest thing around, but it's made from bananas and milk, and, unless you're allergic to it, it ain't gonna kill ya. If it did, people be droppin' dead in Starbucks left, right and center.
So before I go blaming my daughter's poor algebra grades on the soy-based formula I fed her during her first six months, I'm going to need to see some really detailed medical information from someone other than Sally Fallon.... preferably someone with some serious initials after their names, associated with Johns Hopkins or Mayo or the Centers for Disease Control, or some equally substantial institution.
Just call me the Resident Cynic.