Source: Baby Gooroo
The expression, “You are what you eat,” takes on new meaning, given the results of a recent study linking soy formula in babies with uterine fibroids in adults. Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors of the uterus that commonly cause pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, and fertility problems. Approximately one-fourth of women develop uterine fibroids which are the leading cause of hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).
Method
Twenty thousand white women between 35 and 59 years of age participated in the study. The women were selected from a larger group of 50,000 white women who are part of the Sister Study, a long-term review of women ages 35-74 who have never had breast cancer themselves but whose biological sister was diagnosed with the disease.
Women were asked whether they had ever been diagnosed with uterine fibroids and their age at diagnosis. They were also asked about a variety or early childhood exposures including whether they had been fed soy formula. Women were asked to choose from the following responses: definitely, probably, probably not, or definitely not fed soy formula.
Results
Women who were fed soy formula as babies were 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids compared to those who were breastfed or fed cow milk formula. The link between uterine fibroids and soy formula is thought to be a response to the isoflavones (naturally occurring estrogen-like substances) in soy, and in particular, the high exposure at an early age in women given soy formula during infancy.
More of the article: Soy Formula Linked To Fibroid Tumors
Cartoon by Bob Moran
