|
<Back
| Home | Basics |
Departments | Get
Involved | Site Map | What's
New
 Bad
News for the Soy Industry
By Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN
Soy food sales are finally slowing down. According to the recent market
study Soyfoods: The U.S. Market 2005, soy food sales hit $4
billion in 2004 but climbed only 2.1 percent that year, the slowest
growth for the industry since the early 1980s.
Industry spokesman Peter Golbitz of Soya-tech blamed consumer "boredom"
with the products currently in the marketplace and consumer concerns
about news reports and articles that have "questioned the health
benefits of consuming soy-based food products."
In fact, the media have not only questioned the health benefits of
soy but begun reporting on the risks. In July, the Israeli Health Ministry
warned that babies should not receive soy formula, that children should
eat soy no more than once per day to a maximum of three times per week
and that adults should exercise caution because of increased risk of
breast cancer and adverse effects on fertility. The Ministry based its
advice upon the conclusions reached by a 13-member committee of nutritionists,
oncologists, pediatricians and other specialists who spent more than
year examining the evidence. They concluded that the estrogen-like plant
hormones in soy can cause adverse effects on the human body and strongly
urged consumers to minimize their consumption of soy foods until absolute
safety has been proven.
That same month Cornell University’s Program of Breast Cancer
and Environmental Risk Factors issued a "Fact Sheet" warning
that women at risk for breast cancer should take it easy on their soy
consumption. Cornell explained that researchers once thought that soy
phytoestrogens would block the effects of endogenous estrogens in the
body to reduce breast cancer risk but are now seriously concerned about
the mounting evidence that high-soy diets cause greater cell multiplication
in the breast. Increased cell multiplication is a widely acknowledged
risk factor for the development of breast cancer. Then, just in time
for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Journal of the
American Dietetic Association reported that high intake of soy
may increase breast cancer risk and that "health professionals
should take an active role in communicating
and clarifying such information."
In a strategy to counteract a slowdown in sales, the soy industry had
put its soybeans mostly in one basket--winning approval of an FDA-approved
health claim that soy prevents cancer. This hope was dashed early in
October of this year when the Solae Company withdrew its petition to
the FDA in the face of growing evidence that soy can cause, contribute
to or accelerate the growth of cancer. Solae petitioned the FDA for
the health claim in February 2004 with the stated intent of doubling
the sales of its soy protein products. The FDA’s current extension
ended on October 23.
According to Solae officials, the withdrawing of their petition had
"nothing to do" with the science but was a strategy designed
to allow the company to "re-structure" their petition. However,
between June 2004 and April 2005, the Weston A. Price Foundation submitted
three detailed and heavily referenced documents to the FDA that refuted
Solae’s claims that soy prevents cancer. In response to a request
by the Weston A. Price Foundation, over 1000 people wrote letters of
protest. (The FDA has posted these comments at http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/04Q0151/04Q0151.htm.)
This summer the Foundation also drew the FDA’s attention to the
warning issued by the Israeli Health Ministry.
Solae still contends that a qualified health claim is warranted because
of "substantial scientific agreement" among experts that soy
protein reduces the risk of breast, prostate and colon cancers. In fact,
no such consensus exists. Scientists at the FDA’s own Center for
Toxicological Research have warned of soy protein’s carcinogenic
potential and of the health dangers of excess soy-food consumption.
In addition to the recent soy warning issued by the Israeli Health Ministry,
expert scientists with the British Committee on Toxicity, Swiss Federal
Health Service and other government agencies have all expressed concern
about soy’s potential to disrupt the digestive, immune and neuroendocrine
systems of the human body and its role in rising rates of infertility,
hypothyroidism and some types of cancer including thyroid and pancreatic
cancers. The Swedish National Food Administration has warned that allergic
reactions to soy are increasingly common, ranging from mild to life-threatening,
and that fatalities have been reported.
Clearly, Solae knew that the FDA could not approve its proposed soy
protein and cancer health claim. The FDA advised Solae on at least one
occasion that it had not convincingly established
the claim that soy can prevent cancer and that it had failed to counter
massive evidence that soy can cause, contribute to or accelerate cancer
growth. Back in 1999, the FDA sided with the soy industry and allowed
a soy-and-heart-disease health claim, but today’s FDA is under
intense scrutiny because of the Vioxx debacle and could not afford to
approve an unfounded soy-prevents-cancer health claim.
Earlier this summer the Freedonia Group, a market research organization,
predicted that new research and health claims would "hot up"
the demand for soy and drive sales upward from $4 billion in 2004 to
a $8.5 billion in 2007. Instead, researchers are saying "better
safe than sorry" and there won’t be another soy health claim
in the near future. What’s more, the Weston A Price Foundation
will soon petition the FDA for warning
labels on soy products.
Press Release and Victory Action Alert
The following press release was sent to the media and all WAPF
Action Alert recipients. If you would like to send this to your
local newspaper, radio or television station, please email the
Foundation at info@westonaprice.org to receive this document in
electronic form.
FDA Says"No" to Soy
Soy Industry Giant Withdraws from
FDA Cancer Health Claim Battle
Washington, DC: The FDA has confirmed the fact that the Solae
Company withdrew its petition for a soy protein and cancer health
claim on October 4. Solae, a joint venture of Dupont and Bunge,
had applied for a Cancer Prevention Health Claim with the intent
of doubling the sales of its product, soy protein.
"This represents a major blow to the soy industry,"
says Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, author of The Whole Soy Story:
The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. "Had
this health claim been approved, it would have created huge profits
for the soy industry while putting American men, women and children
at risk. Clearly Solae knew that the FDA could not approve its
proposed soy protein and cancer health claim. The FDA advised
Solae on at least one occasion that it had not convincingly established
the claim that soy can prevent cancer and that it had failed to
counter massive evidence that soy can cause, contribute to or
accelerate cancer growth."
Dr. Daniel joined the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit
nutrition education foundation based in Washington, DC, to present
much of the scientific evidence against soy that led to the FDA’s
concerns and to Solae’s withdrawal. The Weston A. Price
Foundation has been a leader in alerting the public to the fact
that processed soy protein and soy oil in the food supply have
been linked to digestive distress, thyroid damage, reproductive
problems, infertility, ADD/ADHD, dementia, heart disease and cancer.
Solae first petitioned the FDA for a health claim in February
2004. Food manufacturers put health claims approved
by the FDA on labels and packages to increase sales because they
encourage consumers to make "healthier" purchases.
Between June 2004 and April 2005, the Weston A. Price Foundation
submitted three detailed and heavily referenced
documents to the FDA that refuted Solae’s claims that soy
protein prevents cancer. This summer the Foundation drew the FDA’s
attention to a July 2005 health advisory issued by the Israeli
Health Ministry which warned that soy infant formula should not
be given to infants, that children should be fed soy foods no
more than once per day to a maximum of three times per week and
that adults should exercise caution because of increased risk
of breast cancer and adverse effects on fertility.
In its petition to the FDA, Solae contended that a qualified
health claim was warranted because of "substantial scientific
agreement" among experts that soy protein reduces the risk
of breast, prostate and colon cancers. "No such consensus
exists," says Dr. Daniel. "Scientists at the FDA’s
own Center for Toxicological Research have warned of soy protein’s
carcinogenic potential and of the health dangers of excess soy-food
consumption. We showed the FDA that Solae was highly selective
in its choice of evidence and biased in its interpretations. We
reported on the fact that they had omitted many studies proving
soy to be ineffective in preventing cancer, emphasized favorable
outcomes in studies
with mixed results and excused the results of the few unfavorable
studies that they included to give the illusion of balance. Most
importantly, we drew the FDA’s attention to the fact that
Solae excluded many studies showing that soy protein can cause
and accelerate the growth of cancer, particularly breast cancer."
In addition to the recent soy warning issued by the Israeli Health
Ministry, expert scientists with the British Committee
on Toxicity, Swiss Federal Health Service and other government
agencies have all expressed concern about soy’s potential
to disrupt the digestive, immune and neuroendocrine systems of
the human body and its role in rising rates of infertility, hypothyroidism
and some types of cancer including thyroid and pancreatic cancers.
Soy is also highly allergenic. Most experts now place soy protein
among the top eight allergens, and some rate it in the top six
or even top four. The Swedish Health Ministry has warned that
allergic reactions to soy are increasingly common, ranging from
mild to life threatening, and that fatalities have been reported.
"People are finally starting to learn that soy is not a
‘miracle food,’" says Dr. Daniel. "More
and more expert scientists
are issuing warnings about soy. The FDA made a big mistake in
1999 when it sided with the soy industry and allowed a soy-and-heart-disease
health claim. Today’s FDA is under intense scrutiny because
of the Vioxx debacle and could not afford to approve an unfounded
soy-prevents-cancer health claim. Solae withdrew its petition
because it knew that its science was unconvincing and that the
FDA had no choice but to turn them down. The bottom line is that
soy does not prevent cancer." |
<Back
| Home | Tour
| Calendar | Contact
Us | Funding | Join
Now
|