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Letters |
a Author for correspondence.
National Center for Toxicol. Res. USFDA, 3900 NCTR Rd., HFT-130, Jefferson, AR 72079
Cancer Res. Center of Hawaii, 1236 Lauhala St., Honolulu, HI 96813
Dunn Nutritional Lab., Downhams Lane, Cambridge CB4 1XJ, UK
To the Editor:
A recent editorial (1) properly credited Franke and Custer (2) for an important study of urinary and breast milk concentrations of isoflavones in women consuming soybeans. This editorial cited literature concerning potential health benefits of phytoestrogens and, to a much lesser extent, potential toxicity. In the accompanying letter below, Franke points out that infants consuming soy-based formula are exposed to high concentrations of phytoestrogens.
Estrogens are two-edged swords in humans; both risks and benefits can be demonstrated in the same person. Two examples are oral contraceptives (benefit: fertility control; risk: increased incidence of breast cancer (3)) and unopposed estrogen replacement therapy (benefit: reduction in mortality due to heart disease and osteoporosis and relief of menopause symptoms; risk: increased incidence of endometrial cancer (4)). Given this characteristic of estrogens generally, what do we know of risks from phytoestrogens?
Adverse effects of phytoestrogens on reproduction and development in
wildlife (5), livestock (6), and experimental
animals (7) have been documented. Developmental exposure to
phytoestrogens results in toxicities similar or identical to those of
other estrogens. Neonatal rodents have long been used as a model of
human prenatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure on the basis of
developmental staging and similar outcomes from exposure
(8). However, the neonatal rodent and postnatal human are
not at equivalent morphological stages of development (9)
and the neonatal rodent does not model the infant human. In addition to
lacking a rodent estrogen model of the human infant, we also have
little clinical experience with human infant exposure to
estrogens generally. Although the data are limited for
developmental effects of phytoestrogens, the similarity of DES and
phytoestrogen effects in newborn rodents should be considered a
cautionary note for the developmentally later exposure that
To the Editor:
To the Editor:
References
Dept. of Food Sci. and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, 1334 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108
a Author for correspondence.
To the Editor:
References
The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:
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  E. Padilla-Banks, W. N. Jefferson, and R. R. Newbold Neonatal Exposure to the Phytoestrogen Genistein Alters Mammary Gland Growth and Developmental Programming of Hormone Receptor Levels Endocrinology, October 1, 2006; 147(10): 4871 - 4882. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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 R. W. Lewis, N. Brooks, G. M. Milburn, A. Soames, S. Stone, M. Hall, and J. Ashby The Effects of the Phytoestrogen Genistein on the Postnatal Development of the Rat Toxicol. Sci., January 1, 2003; 71(1): 74 - 83. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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 T. M. Badger, M. J. J. Ronis, R. Hakkak, J. C. Rowlands, and S. Korourian The Health Consequences of Early Soy Consumption J. Nutr., March 1, 2002; 132(3): 559S - 565. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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 K. D. R. Setchell Soy Isoflavones--Benefits and Risks from Nature's Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) J. Am. Coll. Nutr., October 1, 2001; 20(90005): 354S - 362. [Abstract] [Full Text]
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