MUMS-TO-BE WARNED: DO NOT EAT SOYA
London Metro 13/02/03 by Jane Atherton
PREGNANT women were told yesterday not to eat soya amid fears it can
damage their babies’ sex organs.
Scientists discovered mutations among male rats whose mothers were
fed a chemical from the plant, usedin soya products such as flour, oil
and tofu. They grew up to have unusually large prostate glands and
small testicles. They also seemed unable to ejaculate, New Scientist
magazine reported.
The levels of genistein — a plant version of ocstrogen found
in soya — given to the rats were equivalent to those consumed by
vegetarians eating soya-rich diets.
‘Urologists on this project are actually advising pregnant
women to avoid soya,’ said Dr Sabra Klein, who led the US-based
researchers. They found that rodents which did not eat genistein after
weaning suffered just as severe effects as those which continued eating
it —‘ suggesting the biggest impact was from exposure in
the womb and during breast feeding.'
There is no evidence that soya causes anything similar to happen in
humans. For example, no such sexual mutation has been observed in the
sons of Asian and vegetarian women, the two groups most likely to
consume a lot of soya.
But there is concern about the genistein found in baby formula
drinks and in supplements taken as an alternative to hormone
replacement therapy.
‘These are serious questions that need answering,’
warned Chris Kirk, of the University of Birmingham.
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