I just wanted to add to the discussion that cow's milk in the USA is more than likely to have recombinant bovine growth hormone (r-BGH) in it. Unless your milk says organic, what you are drinking is in all liklihood a genetically engineered product. In the state I reside, Florida, all cow's milk unless organic has r-BGH in it. Therefore the cow's milk that people are drinking now is not the same product that was drunk years ago. Does this contribute to more health problems? I don't know but it sure seems likely. The soybean is one of the crops that is most likely to be genetically engineered in the USA. (I believe I read that 3/4 of the soybeans grown in the USA are ge'd) Therefore, any soy product that does not state organic has a high probability of being genetically engineered. Does this cause some of the health problems? Maybe--we don't know. The other issue I see with both these products is that people overconsume them. Cow's milk and cow's milk products are in everything--processed meats, in chocolate--milk chocolate, breads, chips. They're in foods you would have never believed until you start reading labels. So most people's bodies are being bombarded with dairy unless they are careful about the foods they eat. I know people who eat soy products. Some of them were eating a pound of tofu at a meal. That is a concentrated and highly processed food. Eating that much is really way too much. Soy milk--anyone out there ever try and make it? Highly processed--if you make it yourself its an all day event (yes--years ago before you could buy this product I made it--once--and said never again). I tend to believe that the human body wasn't meant to eat highly processed foods. And I think the biotech industry's claim that the recombinant product is identical to the real/native product is a foolhardy belief. What we eat is very important to our health. We know that breastmilk "made" fresh at every serving is the perfect food for the health of the infant. And all infant formula (not labeled organic) in the USA is genetically engineered. I am amazed at the acceptance of this. And I am amazed that breastfeeding advocates don't use this fact to drive home the importance of breastfeeding. I guess I am also amazed that people aren't at the doorstep of the FDA asking for explanations as to why our infants have become the guinea pigs of the food industry (considering that only about 2% of women exclusively breastfeed in the first 6 months). Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html