hBreastfeeding is not always an option for some infants and for babies who have excessive gas or are fussy after feeding, pediatricians will sometimes recommend soy formula. But is this safe?
Nearly 25% of infant formula on the market today are based on soy protein. In 1996, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement[i] on aluminum toxicity in infants and children and discussed the relatively high content of aluminum in soy-based formulas. Although the aluminum content of human milk is 4 to 65 ng/mL, that of soy protein-based formula is 600 to 1300 ng/mL,
BMC Pediatrics tested 30 baby formulas in the UK for aluminum. All 30 were contaminated with aluminum and no progress had been made in reducing aluminum from the baby formula. Some formulas had 100 times more aluminum than what is found in breast milk. The author suggested that regulatory and other non-voluntary methods are needed to reduce the aluminum content in baby formula. Previous research has linked aluminum to neurological diseases, bone defects and dementia in later life.
Aluminum competes with calcium for absorption and contributes to osteopenia and growth retardation
Soy Formula and Autism
An exploratory study published in Autism Open Access evaluated the severity of autism behaviors in association with the use of soy-based infant formula. Medical records of nearly 2,000 highly-functioning children with autism were analyzed. Associations between the use of soy-based infant formula and autistic behaviors were found[ii].
Research published on PLOS-One, also investigated around 2,000 records of children with autism and explored the lower threshold of seizures in these children. Of these children, 17.5% of the study population had been given soy-based formula. In the children who were fed soy-formula, researchers saw a 2.6-fol higher rate of febrile seizures, a 2.1-fold higher rate of epilepsy and a 4-fold higher rate of simple partial seizures[iii].
Perhaps the high aluminum levels in soy formula coupled with the amount received during vaccination is enough to cause autism in certain individuals.
Soy Formula Contains Phytoestrogens
Soy formulas have high phytoestrogen levels and considering body weight, infants fed soy formula are getting six to 11 times the dose of phytoestrogens necessary to exert hormone-like effects in adults. Based on placental mammal studies, it has been discovered that environmental exposure to phytoestrogens or synthetic estrogens during gestation and/or postnatal development could disrupt the function of the natural steroid hormones and contribute to the incidence of idiopathic disorders such as autism[iv].
According to the Weston A. Price Foundation: “Toxicologists estimate that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day. By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products. A recent study found that babies fed soy-based formula had 13,000 to 22,000 times more isoflavones in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula.”
While organic soy formula provides a better quality source than genetically modified soy, organic soy still has large amounts of hormone disrupting plant estrogens that can wreak havoc on a baby’s development and hormonal system.
According to Psychology Today, excess soy consumption has long been associated with ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, dementia and other mental health issues[v].
