An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

kiwimama — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 12:48:32 GMT

Well, I'm just so confused!! I'm just a mother who wants her kids to eat well. I breastfed both my boys for over 1 year each, but I have started giving my 2-yr-old soy milk as I have reservations about cow's milk and it gave him nasty gas. I have been reading about eating according to blood type and both my boys are A, so soy products are supposed to be very beneficial ... they both love tofu ... thought I was doing the right thing. Now, I think I should definitely stop the soy milk, at least. I just wish I knew what to believe ....

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

N. C. — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:27:45 GMT

This whole soy thing reminds me of how they trashed hormone replacement therapy for women based on a study with toxic synthetic hormones. Had this been natural bioidentical hormones the outcome may have been different. If foods are not whole, chemical free and processed properly then they will be risky. There was no mistake when soy was created. It is a blessing and nutritious. For just born babies, that's obvious, but I would like to know what type of "soymilk" this baby got.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

whirlpool — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:47:27 GMT

For information. My daughter refused further breastfeeding at the age of 6months. She refused all other options and I was worried.I tried soy baby formula among others. I found blood in her nappy. At the time I thought it was digestive but realise now that it was vaginal. It had appeared so but I couldn't conceive of that then. Since I read of the hormone content I made the connection. She seems to be OK twenty years on.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

jlmel — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 05:54:54 GMT

The only respectful discrepancy with the article is that ADHD/ADD as an illness is an absolute fraud. Ther's no organic evidence of its existence and never will be because it is a psychiatric fabrication. It produces a big pile of money for the perverts who diagnose and ruins millions of innocent and healthy children.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

kurlykate — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 03:53:27 GMT

Sorry folks, but I have to disagree this time with doctor Mercola. Some 45 years ago I raised my children without milk or meat. I breastfed my first son for 8 months and my daughter for 6 months, after which they got soy milk along with a diet of fruits, grains, nuts and legumes. These children were seldom if ever sick and they are all very intelligent. My daughter was a member of MENSA. She reached puberty at 13 and is now the mother of four children. The younger boys were breastfed or over a year, but along with peanut butter and their vegetables they ate cooked soybeans, soy burgers, and always soy milk on their cereal. I can't help noticing all the promoting of cow's milk in Dr. Mercola's newsletter and maybe that is why he puts down soymilk. I don't doubt that a baby would suffer on a diet entirely of soy milk, but the essence of a good diet is variety and moderaion.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

jetson — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 01:42:20 GMT

Just another article that leaves me painstakingly guilty. Fed both kids on soy based formula as they had reacted to everything else. Kids did o.k after changeover. Now I have to live with another mistake made in raising my kids. My kids are doomed from all the nutrition mistakes made in the earlier years, even though I had studied up on all the, so called right info, to do the best for my babies.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

pday564 — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:51:31 GMT

It is a tragedy what happened to that baby and to the parent's for not being informed. Let's look at facts though. The infant was given soy milk not soy formula. There aren't many nutrients for an infant in soy milk. Soy formula's have been around for years and have been proven safe. Is there a better alternative? Yes! Breastfeed when possible. Sometimes with adoption or medical illnesses, this is not possible. Mom's should not be made to feel poorly or feel they are harming their infant if they feed formula.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a statement regarding soy formula's. Infants that are not breastfed should be given a milk based formula. Some parent's choose soy anyway.
Parent's should be informed. There is no excuse for a parent to not be informed these days. I had to return to work and chose to supplement my infant with Enfamil Lipil. I extensively researched this company that has been around for 100 years. The highest levels of DHA and the science behind the product sold me. Dr. Mercola recommends Nestle. They make cat litter for God's sake! There is NO clinical evidence behind their products. Their chemicals come from outside the US! Can you prove this is safe Dr Mercola? Their Good Start which you recommend is 10% hydrolized not 80% as you stated. You also stated for mom's who breastfeed to stay away from milk? Only 3% of infants have milk protein allergy. This is also not recommended in any literature unless there is a risk. I have been on this site for quite some time. The credibility is being challenged now however.
Those who fed soy formula's have NOT hurt their babies.
If you choose not to breastfeed or can't, get a company founded in the USA that doesn't make cat litter with CLINICAL SCIENCE to support all claims and you can rest knowing you have made the right decision.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

Marnie1 — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:27:43 GMT

Why are the acusations of guilt focusing on the parents? This article doesn't give any indication of religious reasons for not taking their baby to the pediatrician when he started to show signs of not thriving, so let's think about the medical advice they probablly received--possibly even prior to the birth.

My bet is that the doctor is the one who suggested and supported the soy milk to be given to the baby. Isn't he/she the one who should ultimately come under fire?

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

N. C. — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:27:47 GMT

I can't watch the video, but life in prison for accidentally killing your child is wrong. That is an injustice!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree soymilk is not a good idea for babies, but I as an adult I drink whole organic soymilk and I think it is a wonderful high protein food. I don't believe the soybean is different from any other bean. No bean HAS to be fermented. This is my opinion, but the proof is in the doing, and I do it and all is well.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

JulejuleLMT — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:09:23 GMT

Once again, Dr. Mercola, you have shown me that your advice is paramount to not only excellent, natural health, for adults but also in building a strong foundation from the beginning as infants. What we need in this country is more doctors like yourself, not just condoning breastfeeding but CONDEMNING formula- all of it! This trash-talk of "Breast is best, BUT....if you can't breastfeed (or if it's not convenient for you), here's this formula that's our closest in make-up to breastmilk yet!" For shame!! They spout garbage like that making women think that breastfeeding should be a choice, one based on convenience. The foundation of our children's health has become a sad, sorry, tragic state of affairs. And what's worse is that when this formula-era started over 50 years ago you could at least say that the doctors that plugged formula didn't know any better and sincerely believed in their hearts that it was superior to breast milk. What's their excuse now??? They know darn well that no other baby food holds a candle to it. The fact that you stopped seeing pharmaceutical reps in your office years ago makes me trust you even more. Now that I see you condemning formula, I hold you in even higher esteem than I already did. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

womansong — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:52:19 GMT

I am a Certified Professional Midwife who is on the search for an infant formula that is simple and financially accessible for a good cause. My husband and I were visiting with friends of ours in Malaysia who are running a childcare/preschool program for inner city families in poverty. Because mothers must return to work immediately after having their babies, parents feed their infants either watered-down formula or, more frequently, watered-down, reconstituted canned milk. The directors of the program realized that the nutritionally deprived children would never break out of the cycle of poverty if they weren't receiving what was needed to build healthy bodies and brain function. So they have been feeding them with properly reconstituted canned milk and have already seen a tremendous improvement in growth and creativity. When I informed them that canned milk was inadequate in providing all the fats, sugars and other components babies need, they were eager to improve the gains even more and asked me to send them a formula to complement the milk. My problem is that most ingredients listed for healthy formulas, including this site, are outside the financial reality of this ministry. They need ideas for inexpensive ingredients that are easy to obtain in Malaysia and will boost the nutrients that these precious kids need. Perhaps the formula may not be optimal, but any improvement will change these kid's lives. Any suggestions?

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

mscgirls — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:04:12 GMT

All of us should educate ourselves about the dangers of soy to ourselves and our children. My oldest child was diagnosed with an extremely severe case of Chron's disease in August of 2004 and through an extreme amount of reading, traveling and seminars learning all we can about supplements, organic eating and proper education about food, she has been pharmaceutical free for over a year now. We were able to trace the beginning problems back to soy formula consumption as a child and are in the process of trying to draw scientific studies and testing to prove the coorelation as well as the dramatic results the change in her diet and proper supplementation & probiotics can have on a growing child's body. I am ashamed at my lack of knowledge in the past as to what we are actually doing to our childrens' health, as well as our own when we do not know the effects of what we choose to eat. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU EDUCATE OTHER MOTHERS AND FATHERS ABOUT SOY AND ITS' LONG TERM DAMAGE TO THE BODY.

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

mscgirls — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:03:57 GMT

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

Alaskadude — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:02:25 GMT

How does one go about milking a soybean anyway? Must be time consuming...you must need very small fingers...

re: An Urgent Warning to Parents About the Dangers of Soy Milk for Babies

carrieo — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:05:21 GMT

I would really like to se an article on what those of us who fed our babies soy fiormula should do to ensure that they are healthy now! My son was breastfed, but was also tongue-tied and had a horrible time breastfeeding, so I began supplementing, but he was allergic to the milk-based formulas. So, I, not knwoing any better follwed the doctor's advice and put him on soy formula. Now he is four and I want to make sure he is healthy and not permanently damaged from my mistake. Any one have any suggestions?