Jay writes:
>Pat Gima makes an interesting query...What were these moms fed?  I also
>wonder about a lot of the fertility problems these days...same question:
>What were these men and women fed?  How about their parents?

Some of the titles of research that I didn't include in the list relate to
these question. Such as "Potential value of plants as sources of new
antifertility agents."  or "Effects of a phytoestrogen diet on
estrogen-dependent reproductive processes in immature female rats" or "Role
of plant estrogens in nomrmal and estrogen-related altered growth of the
mouse prostate."

>On a personal note, I was BF for 3 months, then abruptly put on ABM,
>couldn't tolerate any of them, and almost died until finally put on a Soy
>ABM.

That 3 months of breastfeeding could have made a difference for you.
According  to some of the present concerns about males, the first 4 months
are important for the testosterone potential.  Sounds as if you didn't
begin your steady diet of soy until 4 months or so.

Of course in research we look at large numbers and there are always
exceptions.

I remember, also, from the Framingham (MA) studies that men who were
breastfed for even 3 months were able to eat foods high in cholesterol
without a problem in their arteries. So, as we have said often, some
breastfeeding is always better than none.

I also wonder how many generations of no breastfeeding we are working with
today.  Feeding at her mother's breast most likely prepares a baby girl to
feed her own babies, a preparation that we will never understand fully.  We
are seeing women who weren't breastfed and whose mothers weren't either.
And we are probably into a third generation sometimes.

So, when we come right down to it, human milk for human babies, cow's milk
for cow babies, and soy beans go into the ground to grow a new soy plant to
be eaten by grownups.

And we can't wait for a pharmaceutical company to come up with a new
mixture before we let the public know of the hazards of what is presently
available.

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee

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