We at Soyonlineservice knew in 1993 that women who had been fed soy formulas in the 1970's were infertile, miscarrying, or producing babies with defects such as spina bifida, deformed legs and missing organs.

The risks of exposure to the quantities of estrogens in products being consumed by pregnant women, and by infants, that were analysed by scientists consulted by Soyonlineservice were obvious and were specifically drawn to the attention of the US Food and Drug Administration, US EPA, the Australian National Food Authority, the Australian CSIRO, ANZFA, the NZ Ministry of Health, Health Canada, UK MAFF, UK Dept of Health , WHO and FAO/Codex.

ANZFA has even secretly assessed that soy estrogens pose health hazards to foetal and neonatal development, to sexual maturation, and to sexual differentiation (i.e. the ambiguity of sexual organs recited by the American Endocrine Society : See page 4 re soy and ambiguous genitalia], and by the London Independent

All of those "Food Safety" agencies have failed to exercise the "Precautionary Principle" of notifying women who innocently shop at supermarkets for soy foods and infant formulas . Women do so without receiving the slightest Government hint that there may be danger lurking for their babies.

A real worry is that birth defects like and cryptorchidism are external and visible in boys. Congenital abnormalities of the male genital tract are also increasing, and once again soy phytoestrogens may be implicated, according to a study that found a higher incidence of in male offspring of vegetarian, soy-consuming mothers.

In girls the DES effects were internal and only showed up at adulthood (see our section on Phytoestrogens > ). The Wingspread Statement also discusses birth defects from DES etc. A discussion on can be found here.

One should wonder at the "dark power" of an industry that can have such global powers to suppress the basic legal rights of consumers everywhere.

Further Reading

Endocrine disruptors and hypospadias: role of genistein and the fungicide vinclozolin.

Vilela ML, Willingham E, Buckley J, Liu BC, Agras K, Shiroyanagi Y, Baskin LS., Urology. 2007 Sep;70(3):618-21.

These findings support the idea that exposure to genistein during gestation could contribute to the development of hypospadias.

Lactational transfer of the soy isoflavone, genistein, in Sprague-Dawley rats consuming dietary genistein.

Doerge DR, Twaddle NC, Churchwell MI, Newbold RR, Delclos KB.

Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA.

Exposures of Sprague-Dawley rats to the soy isoflavone, genistein, throughout the entire lifespan have produced a number of effects on reproductive tissues, immune function, neuroendocrine function and behavior. Our previous studies investigated pharmacokinetics and disposition of genistein during adult and fetal periods and this study describes the internal exposures of post-natal day 10 (PND10) rat pups due to lactational transfer of genistein. Conjugated and aglycone forms of genistein were measured by using LC/MS/MS in serum (PND10) and milk (PND7) from lactating dams consuming a genistein-fortified soy-free diet, and in serum from their pups at a time when milk was the only food source (PND10). This study shows that limited lactational transfer of genistein to rat pups occurs and that internal exposures to the active aglycone form of genistein are generally lower than those measured previously in the fetal period. These results suggest that developmental effects attributable to genistein exposure in our chronic and multi-generation studies are more likely to result from fetal exposures because of the higher levels of the active estrogenic aglycone form of genistein in utero, although the possibility of neonatal responses cannot be excluded.

Detection of phytoestrogens in samples of second trimester human amniotic fluid.

Foster WG, Chan S, Platt L, Hughes CL Jr. Toxicol Lett 2002 Mar 28;129(3):199-205

Dietary phytoestrogens were quantified in 96.2% of second trimester amniotic fluid samples tested. The mean (+/- standard deviation (S.D.)) concentration of daidzein and genistein in amniotic fluid was 1.44 +/- 1.34 and 1.69 +/- 1.48 ng/ml with maximum levels of 5.52 and 6.54 ng/ml, respectively. Second trimester amniotic fluid contains quantifiable levels of dietary phytoestrogens and thus is a marker of mid pregnancy fetal exposure.

Neonatal exposure to genistein induces estrogen receptor (ER)alpha expression and multioocyte follicles in the maturing mouse ovary: evidence for ERbeta-mediated and nonestrogenic actions.

Jefferson WN, Couse JF, Padilla-Banks E, Korach KS, Newbold RR. Biol Reprod. 2002 Oct;67(4):1285-96.

As a functional analysis, genistein-treated mice were superovulated and the number of oocytes was counted. A statistically significant increase in the number of ovulated oocytes was observed with the lowest dose, whereas a decrease was observed with the two higher doses.

Histological evaluations on Day 19 revealed a dose-related increase in multioocyte follicles (MOFs) in genistein-treated mice.

These data taken together demonstrate alterations in the ovary following neonatal exposure to genistein. Given that human infants are exposed to high levels of genistein in soy-based foods, this study indicates that the effects of such exposure on the developing reproductive tract warrant further investigation.

The effect of phytoestrogens on the female genital tract.

Burton JL, Wells M. J Clin Pathol 2002 Jun;55(6):401-7

This review will discuss the evidence from both animal studies and humans for an effect of these ubiquitous compounds on the development of the human female genital tract, in addition to prolonging the menstrual cycle, alleviating symptoms of the menopause, and protecting against the development of endometrial carcinoma.

Placental transfer of the soy isoflavone genistein following dietary and gavage administration to Sprague Dawley rats.

Doerge DR, Churchwell MI, Chang HC, Newbold RR, Delclos KB. Reprod Toxicol 2001 Mar-Apr;15(2):105-10

Fetal brain contained predominately genistein aglycone at levels similar to those in the maternal brain. These studies show that genistein aglycone crosses the rat placenta and can reach fetal brain from maternal serum genistein levels that are relevant to those observed in humans.

Maternal exposure to genistein during pregnancy increases carcinogen-induced mammary tumorigenesis in female rat offspring. Hilakivi-Clarke L, Cho E, Onojafe I, Raygada M, Clarke R. Oncol Rep 1999 Sep-Oct;6(5):1089-95

The results indicate that in utero exposure to genistein, but not to zearalenone, dose-dependently increased the incidence of DMBA-induced mammary tumors, when compared with the controls.

Our results suggest that a maternal exposure to subcutaneous administration of genistein can increase mammary tumorigenesis in the offspring, mimicking the effects of in utero estrogenic exposures. Further, increased ER protein levels and reduced PKC activity in the mammary gland may be involved in increasing susceptibility to carcinogen-induced mammary tumorigenesis in rats exposed to genistein in utero.

p53, mutations, and apoptosis in genistein-exposed human lymphoblastoid cells.

Morris SM, Chen JJ, Domon OE, McGarrity LJ, Bishop ME, Manjanatha MG, Casciano DA.Mutat Res 1998 Aug 31;405(1):41-56

Our results may be interpreted that genistein is a chromosomal mutagen

Neurobehavioral actions of coumestrol and related isoflavonoids in rodents.

Whitten PL, Patisaul HB, Young LJ. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2002 Jan-Feb;24(1):47-54

Treatment of rat dams with a 100-ppm coumestrol diet from birth to postnatal day (PND) 21 induced premature anovulation in female offspring, and treatment from birth to PND 10 suppressed sexual behavior in male offspring.

Cross-species and interassay comparisons of phytoestrogen action. Whitten PL, Patisaul HB. Environ Health Perspect 2001 Mar;109 Suppl 1:5-20

In vivo data show that phytoestrogens have a wide range of biologic effects at doses and plasma concentrations seen with normal human diets. Significant in vivoresponses have been observed in animal and human tests for bone, breast, ovary, pituitary, vasculature, prostate, and serum lipids. The doses reported to be biologically active in humans (0.4--10 mg/kg body weight/day) are lower than the doses generally reported to be active in rodents (10--100 mg/kg body weight/day), although some studies have reported rodent responses at lower doses.

Effects of dietary genistein exposure during development on male and female CD (Sprague-Dawley) rats.

Delclos KB, Bucci TJ, Lomax LG, Latendresse JR, Warbritton A, Weis CC, Newbold RR. Reprod Toxicol 2001 Nov;15(6):647-63

Human exposure to genistein is predominantly through consumption of soy products, including soy-based infant formula and dietary supplements.

Body weight and feed consumption of the treated dams prior to parturition showed a decreasing trend with a significant reduction at the highest dose. Litter birth weight was depressed in the 1250 ppm dose group, and pups of both sexes in that dose group had significantly decreased body weights relative to controls at the time of sacrifice. The most pronounced organ weight effects in the pups were decreased ventral prostate weight in males at the 1250 ppm dose and a trend toward higher pituitary gland to body weight ratios in both sexes. Histopathologic examination of female pups revealed ductal/alveolar hyperplasia of the mammary glands at 250 to 1250 ppm. Ductal/alveolar hyperplasia and hypertrophy also occurred in males, with significant effects seen at 25 ppm and above. Abnormal cellular maturation in the vagina was observed at 625 and 1250 ppm, and abnormal ovarian antral follicles were observed at 1250 ppm. In males, aberrant or delayed spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules relative to controls was observed at 1250 ppm. There was a deficit of sperm in the epididymis at 625 and 1250 ppm relative to controls, although testicular spermatid head counts and epididymal spermatozoa counts did not show significant differences from controls at these doses. Both sexes showed an increase in the incidence and/or severity of renal tubal mineralization at doses of 250 ppm and above.

Dietary genistein thus produced effects in multiple estrogen-sensitive tissues in males and females that are generally consistent with its estrogenic activity. These effects occurred within exposure ranges achievable in humans.

Oxidative metabolism and genotoxic potential of major isoflavone phytoestrogens.

Kulling S, Lehmann L, Metzler M.J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2002 Sep 25;777(1-2):211

Hydroxylated metabolites of daidzein and genistein have also been demonstrated in incubations with human hepatic microsomes and in the urine of humans after ingestion of soy food.

Thus, oxidative metabolism appears to be common among isoflavones and may have implications for their biological activities.

As genistein but not daidzein exhibits clastogenic activity in cultured mammalian cells, the role of oxidative metabolism for the genotoxicity of isoflavones is of particular interest.