After posting public warnings about the dangers of soy for more than six years, an independent review committee formed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is reviewing recent studies about the dubious safety of soy in infant formula.
Based on a preliminary review of data on soy formula and genistein, as well as the growing popularity of these products, further examination was necessary, according to the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction. Among those concerns: Research on animals that found soy consumption over the long-term affects a woman’s menstrual cycles.
The goal here is to determine if the panel can make a final call on soy safety — two words that should never appear next to each other in the same sentence — or if more research is necessary.
Of course, the soy industry is up in all arms about this probe, arguing soy consumption affects animals differently than humans. I suspect the industry is getting worried consumers are finally catching on to soy’s inherent problems, as evidenced by its slowing sales.
Although the final report should be posted online sometime in the next two months, you don’t have to wait that long to make an informed choice about soy.