It is quite amusing to see the Green Parliamentary party hopping round like cut cats demanding action on some brands of
soy sauce. It is also fascinating to see ANZFA taking "urgent action" to amend the Food Safety Standards immediately. It
must be very comforting to be able to be a follower of Brits, and not a leader. But we have 40 million sheep that can do
that.
Anyone who considers that "natural" can also be harmful and has an interest in public safety should ask ANZFA's office
on The Terrace, Wellington, for their "Authority in Confidence" on the risks of phytoestrogens in infant formulas,
prepared in March 1999.
Then turn to section 3 and its subsections. Here are the potential health hazards from soy products that ANZFA lists in
that document :--
Neonatal Brain Development;
Foetal Brain Development:
Sexual differentiation;
Sexual matruration;
Thyroid Function in Children;
Thyroid Function in Adults.
Then turn to the "Assessment Summary", and you will see the Assessment that the phytoestrogens in soy products clearly
pose a potential hazard to consumers of soy products. Can someone please explain why, since ANZFA itself found potential
harm in ALL soy products on a greater scale than the Brits did in sauces, why no changes to the Food Safety Standards
were announced by ANZFA. Can it be that public safety takes a back seat to political expediency?
Given the ANFZA ASSESSMENT, it is hypocrisy to insist on absolute safety against synthetic chemicals, yet to say nothing
about "natural poisons" in poorly processed soy products and ingredients.
Though his work is publicly ignored in New Zealand, but initiated the ANZFA Assessment, Dr Mike Fitzpatrick is
recognised as an expert overseas. This is from the American magazine "Woman's World" of March 16, 2001.
THE LAZY THYROID DIET "AVOIDING SOY. Lately women are hearing a lot about the proven health benefits of soy. What
they're not hearing, say soy researcher Michael Fitzpatrick, Ph.D is that as little as 30mg of soy isoflavones--the
amount in 5-8 ounces of soy milk - have been proven to suppress thyroid function. "The isoflavones in soy act like a
hormone in the body. And in many women, especially those who eat large amounts of concentrated soy powder or take
isoflavone supplments, this disturbs the body's hormonal balance, triggering or worsening thyroid problems," explains
Dr. Gillespie. Some experts are even calling for the makers of soy products to remove these antithyroid isoflavones from
their products. In the meantime, Dr. Gillespie recommends those with a lazy thyroid avoid soy altogether."
ENDS