Estrogenicity Of Soy Formula

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Genistein and daidzein are estrogenic isoflavones found in soybeans. Although they are about 110,000 as potent as estradiol, infants fed soy formula have serum concentrations that are up to 4 orders of magnitude higher than estradiol. Anatomic, sonographic, and other biochemical evidence of estrogen exposure has not been looked for in infants fed soy. Whether such widely used products do or do not have clinically detectable estrogenic activity in infants, the group with the highest exposure per kilo, is important clinically; in addition, it may be a crucial test of the ability of laboratory measures of estrogenicity to predict actual endocrine response in humans. We have done the field work for pilot studies to examine the natural history of estrogen responsive physiology in the newborn, and will use the results to develop a longitudinal study of the possible estrogenic effects of soy formula on infants. <br>At the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, we collected over 400 samples of urine and saliva and 88 blood samples from children aged 2 days to one year, fed soy, cow milk formula, or breast milk. We analyzed them for sex hormones, gonadotropins, sex hormone binding globulin, cortisol, interleukin 6, thyroid hormone, and thyroid stimulating hormone. For the most part, hormone levels do not differ by feeding method, although breast fed children have higher cortisol levels and soy fed girls lower testosterone. We are currently examining the relation between sex hormones, gonadotropins, and isoflavone concentrations in the soy fed children. Using samples from this project, we are collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control to see if perchlorate, a contaminant of the US water supply, lowers thyroid hormone levels in infants as it does in adult females. We are currently recontacting families who told us to ask them before analyzing their childs samples for substances other than those in the original study plan. We will use the samples from those who give their consent now, plus those who originally gave consent for general use of their samples, to measure concentrations of perchlorate, iodine, and thiocyanate in infants for whom we have already measured thyroid hormone.