Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Today’s generation of children could aptly be called Generation A where the “A” stands for allergies. Food intolerances and of all kinds are rampant with the very first frequently becoming apparent when a formula-fed infant demonstrates an allergy to commercial milk-based formula. The typical recommendation by a conventional doctor in this case? Put baby on a soy formula such as Isomil or ProSobee immediately.
About 25% of American babies are fed soy infant formula according to the website of Dr. Sears.
Elemental infant formula might also be suggested, but these are usually reserved for preterm infants and those with specific medical problems such as severe allergies to both milk and soy. Elemental formulas also tend to be foul-tasting compared with milk or soy-based formula and babies tend to reject them for this reason.
Many parents make the switch to soy formula in haste hoping to ease the digestive discomfort their child is experiencing on commercial milk formulas not realizing the full implications of their decision.
In some cases, parents may never even try a dairy formula at all if a milk allergy already runs in the family. There is no evidence that using soy formula reduces the risk of a dairy allergy later, however. For this reason, the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against the use of soy formula in infants who are potentially allergic to cow’s milk. A milk-based formula should still be the first choice even in those situations.
The Three Reasons Why Soy Formula is So Bad for Babies
The primary problems with soy protein found in non-dairy commercial formulas are threefold: trypsin inhibitors, phytic acid, and phytoestrogens.
Trypsin Inhibitors
These are proteins found in plentiful amounts in soybeans that inhibit digestion and absorption of nutrients. They are large in size and require the application of high heat for appreciable periods of time to neutralize.
The industrialized process of producing soy infant formula deactivates the majority of trypsin inhibitors. Unfortunately, some remain and even in low amounts, they have been found to prevent normal growth in rats. Given that a baby’s brain grows at its most rapid rate the first year of life, growing to about 75% percent of adult size (it is 25% of adult size at birth), even slight retardation of growth could be devastating to the development of the brain and nervous system.
Note that protease inhibitors in soy are also an issue, as they greatly hinder the digestion of protein. Potential harm to the pancreas is another grave risk.
Phytic Acid
Phytic acid is an organic acid, which like trypsin inhibitors, is present in large amounts in soybeans. Phytates are present in the outer portion of all seeds and block the absorption of critical minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron and particularly zinc. Phytic acid is also extremely irritating to the digestive tract.
Unlike other seeds, soybeans have extremely high amounts of a type of phytic acid. This anti-nutrient is particularly resistant to deactivation. Researchers testing soy formula in 1967 found that soy formula caused zinc deficiency in every single infant who received it. Again, this is due to the mineral blocking effect of phytates within the digestive system.
Zinc is known as the intelligence mineral because it is critical for the optimal development and functioning of the brain and nervous system. As a result, deficiency of this nutrient in infants at a time when the brain is growing at its most rapid rate could have lifelong implications and possibly reduce IQ.
Phytoestrogens or Isoflavones
Phytoestrogens represent the most serious problem with soy infant formula. These estrogen-like compounds have the potential to disrupt the baby’s hormonal system for life.
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 22,0000 times more isoflavones in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula.
Soy Formula Health Problems for Boys
Flooding of an infant boy’s bloodstream with female-like hormones has the potential to cause serious developmental problems at puberty. During the first few months of life, a baby boy has testosterone levels that could be as high as that of an adult male. This “testosterone surge” readies the baby boy’s hormonal system for puberty both for normal development of the sexual organs and also patterns of male behavior.
Could soy infant formula be responsible for the increasing problem of boys where physical maturation is delayed or even completely absent with retarded development of the sexual organs?
Soy Formula Health Problems for Girls
Baby girls fed soy infant formula may suffer negative hormonal impact as well from early soy exposure. In a 2011 published study, time-to-menarche was assessed in nearly 3,000 girls.
Those girls identified as early soy-fed via soy infant formula had a 25% increased risk of menarche specifically in early adolescence.
Early sexual development in girls can herald serious problems with the reproductive system later in life such as unexplained infertility and breast cancer.
Research from 2012 published in Biology of Reproduction’s Papers-in-Press describes the effects of plant estrogens found in soy on the mouse oviduct. The study was specifically designed to model the effects of soy-based baby formula on human infants. The results of the study suggest that exposure to estrogenic chemicals in the womb or during childhood has the potential to negatively affect a woman’s fertility as an adult.
Organic Soy Formula No Protection from Soy Dangers
Some parents mistakenly believe that genetically modified soy is the main problem and that buying organic soy formula is protective for their infant.
Nothing could be further from the truth. While organic soy formula does indeed provide a better quality source of soy, organic soy still has the same problems as GMO soy. Trypsin and protease inhibitors, high levels of phytic acid, and large amounts of hormone-disrupting plant estrogens can devastate the baby’s digestive development and hormones potentially for life!
Healthy Options to Soy Formula
Parents wishing to provide the highest quality formula for their baby should breastfeeding not be an option should consider a homemade formula made from grass-fed raw cow milk.
If cow milk is a problem, goat milk formula can be tried instead. Goat milk has a slightly different fat composition and protein profile that is easier for some babies to digest. Please note that powdered goat milk is not recommended. The powdering process denatures the fragile proteins in goat milk. Powdered goat milk is not as nutritious as whole raw goat milk. Moreover, the chances are high that it will cause an allergenic response in the baby at some point.
If all dairy even if unprocessed and grass-fed is still problematic, a homemade nondairy formula based on homemade bone broth can be utilized instead.
Thousands of mothers have successfully used these homemade formulas with their babies in recent decades with excellent results!
Weaning after Formula
One more point of note. When your child is ready to be weaned off homemade formula at one year old, skip the soymilk! Soy as a food or beverage is not any more appropriate for toddlers than it is for babies! If your child is allergic to raw milk from pastured animals (best choice), wean him/her onto a nutritious milk substitute instead.
Sources
How neonatal plant estrogen exposure leads to adult infertility
Soy Formulas?
More Information
Estrogenic Foods, Herbs, and Supplements
Soy Lecithin in Baby Formula
Amber, my daughter never had formula and while very advance in language arts, still struggles occasionally with math. Seriously, do not link everything to food otherwise you will drive yourself psycho, I am sure you are a good, caring mom.
I was told that, when I could not breast feed, soy was the closest alternative. I wish I knew then what I knew now. At 5 my daughter was already beginning to develop breasts, and now at age 10 she has started her menses!! We have been off ALL soy for several years now but it did not reverse the effects. Add that to the hormonally treated milk we were giving after formula…UGH!! I am praying that our new lifestyle will help to even out some of this mess and reverse some of the damage.
My goodness! Really?
Perhaps a good naturalpathic or homeopathic doctor can help. Do continue to love your daughter and let her know she is ok even though her body is developing differently.
I wish you and your family well.
I gave my son soy formula and I didn’t know this then. I have worried over it since I started this journey on better health and nutrition. I’m sick over it but I can’t undo it. I must move forward with making his nutrition as best it can be and put it in God’s hands. He’s very smart but is having trouble with spelling and vowels. I’ll never know if this is because of that or not. I wish the Dr would have told us not to use soy. I didn’t have enough milk and he threw up with milk based formula. I wish they never sold it.
I feed my son soy formula because I was unable to breast feed him and he had a reaction, if you will, to the lactose formula. The next best thing was soy formula. I hate to have to insult this article but it is not just the soy that everyone should be up in arms about. Ethnicity plays a roll in the matter. My son is extremely smart and developing at a great rate as well as gaining weight on a curve and it is exact every month.
Take into account immunological health of the mother and father, ethnicity, sex of the child, and region of residence. All of these can affect what the child should eat.
It is really easy to scare people who have no knowledge on the matter.
I wish you all “luck” and pray God’s hand guides you all.
Wow… I wish I knew this 4 years ago… At least my sweet pea was able to nurse most of the first 5 months…she is bright and began reading one syllable words just as she was turning 4… I have noticed signs of zinc deficiency, but I also have had issues with that. Sarah, do you have any specific recommendations for getting more of this in her diet other than massive quantities of oysters? I’ve tried a liquid supplement, but that’s not gonna happen. She’s eaten a mostly processed food free diet her whole life. Mostly meat, veggies, and some fruit… Nuts and seeds, we eat some dairy, but it tends to make us congested… I’ve knew to the world of Kombucha, but my kids LOVE it and will drink it faster than I can make it! Thanks for your help!
My son was “allergic” to cows milk formula but has been on the raw milk formula from Weston A Price for 5 months now and is doing awesome!! The doctor said he has nicer skin than most kids he sees.
Jason Slajchert
We gave our daughter soy formula 16 years ago when an infant from 4 days old until we weaned her off and introduced pasteurized cow milk (we just discovered traditional eating including raw milk 2 years ago). Right now it looks like she’ll be the valedictorian of her class so if the soy impaired her brain development, it isn’t showing. Of course we don’t know if she escaped infertility or breast cancer but time will tell. And as you said, Sarah, the whole thing has to be left in His capable hands or spend the next 10+years worrying about it which I choose not to do. Obviously if I knew then what I know now I would have NEVER given her soy formula but live and learn as they say . . .
I am so, so grateful I knew this when I could not produce enough breastmilk due to a medication I must take and I had a milk protein intolerant baby. Soy is the worst. I read in America 25% of infants are on soy formula and in Europe it is used as an absolute last resort and labeled with warning stating as such.
I didn’t know this when my baby needed formula, but my husband knew that soy had estrogen and he wasn’t eating any of it himself. Thank goodness. We found the raw milk formula and have never looked back. My six month old son is bigger now than his one year old cousin. He is solid and very happy! My two and a half year old daughter likes to drink the formula too, actually, so I let her have some also. She also asks for her cod liver oil every day. She’s hilarious.
Nutrient dense, traditional diet to build the child up and lots of prayer.
I honestly don’t know anyone who has successfully reversed the damage from soy infant formula. I know many who have tried with varying degrees of success with the help of a holistic pratitioner specializing in gut and/or hormone health.
That is what I was afraid of. I was a nanny for years before I became a mom myself and one of the babies was fed soy formula, I just wish I could be more helpful. Thanks for the reply.
GAPS is a fantastic way to find healing for babies who have had a start on soy formula. I know of several who had had really rough beginnings and have found healing thanks to brave mamas transitioning them off of horrible chemical formulas and onto GAPS. My daughter has extensive damage to her body, and soy formula is one of the major reasons. She is thriving and growing and healing tremendously with the help of GAPS and alternative medicine. There is always hope.
What about all the hormones in cow milk? what about the increase in bowel and stomach disorders later in life from milk fed babies? what about the antibiotic traces in cow milk?
that’s exactly what i’m wondering. please read these articles before panicking over your infants health. this article is misleading and is going to panic mothers for no reason.
http://zenhabits.net/soy/
So what can someone do if they did give their baby soy formula?
I think if someone fed their child soy formula, they just do the best they can now! You can’t change the past, so you take a deep breath and change the present and the future! That might be working on diet, working with an alternative health professional, etc. or whatever is best for you and your family.
YES! We can’t undo the mistakes of the past .. we just move forward with what we know now.
my understanding from the majority of information I am reading (gmo’s/ modified with round up, the after effects are not realized until the 3rd generation. Most of the recent findings that have been documented have been in 3rd world countries who have had GMO crops for quite some time and are seeing the majority of problems especially in children and the elderly.
GMOs have been thrown out of Europe (burned out), but the education in other countries is not there. So, India has taken it on, and Africa, and the Philippines they will keep pushing until Monsanto food is a household word. Its all about the money, and slave to growing the seeds (they get paid for every seed grown (every harvest)
Wow. I had a feeling something like this was afoot. On the one hand I think it is kind of terrible the way that wholesale food stuffs appear on the market with no indication as to what kind of physiological effect they might have. That is why it is good to keep yourself educated, so that you can make your own deductions.
I find it interesting that Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist worked for the Weston Price Foundation. It says it right on her website. The Weston Price Foundation is not our friend.
The Weston Price organization recommends that people eat generous portions of animal foods and fat, claiming that cholesterol levels have no relationship to health. They write about the “dangers” of a plant-based, near-vegetarian, or vegan diet. What makes all of this confusing to the general public is that the members often use scientific articles to document their stances both for the consumption of animal foods and against the consumption of a plant-based diet. However, many of these citations are used inaccurately and are misleading. For example, some studies use only animal subjects and the experiments involved high doses of isolated nutrients from soy. This is considerable different than consuming whole soy foods as part of a well-structured plant-based diet. Others are simple misinterpretations of the evidence. One study that was cited to support the stance that consumption of soy formulas can lead to precocious puberty in girls did not even mention soy milk.
It is important to give careful consideration to which individuals and organizations you will rely on for information about diet and health. The Weston Price Foundation and its members have conducted no research on the long-term effects of the diet they recommend. They cite no long-term studies indicating that their diet is health-promoting or safe. Their advice to avoid soy foods is one of many statements that are in complete opposition to the preponderance of the published scientific evidence about diet and health.
Do you work for the soy industry, by any chance? I find it laughable you say the Weston Price Foundation has conducted no long term studies. Read Dr Price’s Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Or just pay attention to the longterm study otherwise known as “since the beginning of time”, when our ancestor’s ate animal fat since… well, the beginning of time. For those of us who have healed our long time conditions on Weston Price Foundation recommendations, your comments have no credibility whatsoever.
Bull
stephanie, your baby is fine. this article is a bunch of garbage.
Please don’t panic. Please see this link for a study on abc news that was done on the long-term effects (or lack there of) of soy formula: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117282 Although they still have not tested for long-term effects for people beyond middle age, it’s important to consider the most up-to-date research that says it is safe. I understand this author’s concerns, but I would ask that she PLEASE does not cause unnecessary worry in parents. My son may have a severe food allergy. Although I am trying my very best to only give him breast milk (even as a mom who must work full time), he is 7 months old and has recently started drinking more milk than I can make, and I may need to start supplementing with soy formula. The stress of this is awful… I would ask that the author of this article please add a note about the recent study showing soy to be safe, and not cause additional worry and pain for parents who are just trying to do the best they can for the ones they love.
More bad news for soy formula just out. New post coming soon on this.