Soy Based Formula
UK DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
96/244
18 July 1996
ADVICE ON SOYA-BASED
INFANT FORMULAE
The Department of Health is today
issuing advice on soya-based infant formulae which contain naturally
occurring chemicals, phytoestrogens. Parents who have been advised
on medical grounds to give their babies soya-based formulae
should continue to do so.
The Committee on Toxicity of
Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT),
made up of independent experts, has advised that phytoestrogens
can, in certain situations, behave like a very weak form of
the female hormone oestrogen. In animals this has caused some
fertility problems. But there is no evidence of adverse effects
in populations which eat large quantities of soya such as the
Japanese and Chinese. The Committee has recommended that further
research is needed to give a better understanding of the actions
of phytoestrogens in the human body.
One per cent of babies are fed
soya-based infant formulae because they are not being breast
fed and cannot take formulae based on cows' milk. Most babies
are fed this formulae on the advice of doctors, health visitors
or other health care professionals. In addition, some parents
choose to feed this formulae to their babies as soya-based formulae
are made wholly from plant material and are acceptable to vegans
and other groups who do not wish to feed their baby on cows'
milk products.
Until the results of further
research are available the Department of Health advice is:
| |
- Babies being fed soya-based formulae on the advice
of a doctor, health visitor or other health care professional
should continue to be given it.
|
| |
- Parents who have not been advised but have chosen
to give their baby soya- based formulae should continue
to feed their baby on the formulae but seek advice
from their doctor, health visitor or other health
care professional.
|
| |
- Breast feeding is the best way of feeding infants
and can help prevent allergies. Infant formulae provide
an alternative source of nutrition and formulae based
on cow's milk are preferable for most bottle-fed babies.
|
NOTES:
- Phytoestrogens are widely distributed,
naturally occurring plant chemicals found, for example,
in peas and green beans, which have a weak oestrogenic activity.
One class of phytoestrogens, isoflavones, occurs in soya
beans and consequently in soya-based infant formulae (baby
milk).
- Other soya-based products are available
for all age groups. Where soya is not the sole source of
nutrition, intakes of phytoestrogens are likely to be low.
- COT recently reviewed the health aspects
of phytoestrogens as part of on-going programme of reviews
of naturally occurring chemicals and concluded that there
was a need for further research.
- Some of this research is already underway,
both here and abroad. COT will review the results as they
become available.
- Members of the Committee on Toxicity
of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment
(COT) are appointed by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO).
The Committees advise the CMO and, through the CMO, the
Government. Committee members are appointed as independent
scientific and medical experts on the basis of their special
skills and knowledge.
- The current Chairman of the COT is Professor
H Frank Woods BSc MB BCh MRCP D Phil FRCP(Lon) FFPM FRCP(Edin),
who is the Head of the Department of Medicine & Pharmacology
and Therapeutics at the University of Sheffield.
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