Soy and Diarrhea in Infants

DGNews

Soy Isoflavone May Inhibit Common Gastrointestinal Illness in Infants

URBANA, IL -- September 6, 2007 -- The soy isoflavone genistin--at
concentrations present in soy infant formula-- may reduce a baby's
susceptibility to rotavirus infections by as much as 74 percent,
according to a University of Illinois study published in September's
Journal of Nutrition.

"Rotavirus is the primary cause of diarrhea in infants, affecting
virtually all children before age five. In the United States, it
mainly leads to dehydration, doctor's visits, and parents missing work
to care for sick children. In developing countries, though, rotavirus
causes approximately 611,000 deaths each year," said Sharon Donovan,
the Melissa M. Noel Professor of Nutrition at the U of I.

Although rotavirus vaccines have recently become available, they are
expensive and cannot be given to some infants, she said.

"It's exciting to think that the isoflavones in soy formula could be a
cost-effective nutritional approach to decreasing the incidence and
severity of rotavirus infections, especially among children in
developing countries who are most at risk," said the scientist of her
work with doctoral candidate Aline Andres, who conducted the
experiments.

In the study, cells in culture were exposed to rotavirus in the
absence or presence of soy isoflavones, biologically active compounds
in soy that are thought to have health benefits. Soy contains a number
of different forms of isoflavones, and all were tested individually
and as the complete mixture present in infant formula.

"Genistin and the mixture significantly reduced rotavirus infectivity
by 33 to 74 percent," she said. "But when genistin was taken out of
the mixture, anti-rotavirus activity was lost, suggesting that it is
the active component in reducing infectivity."

Donovan focused her investigation on the isoflavone concentrations
present in soy formula. That was the concentration at which rotavirus
inhibition began to occur and then leveled off, indicating that
there's an effective range, and beyond that, there is no additional
inhibition or toxicity.

"We then exposed the cells to different concentrations of rotavirus.
If an infant had a severe infection or was exposed to a lot of
rotavirus, we wondered if the isoflavones would still be as
effective," she said.

The inhibition held up across a 16-fold range of rotavirus exposure.
"Even at the highest concentration of rotavirus particles, genistin or
the mix of isoflavones inhibited infectivity," said Donovan.

Genistin appeared to diminish infectivity by inhibiting binding of the
virus to tissue-culture cells, she said.

Donovan's laboratory soon plans to begin studies with neonatal
piglets, an excellent model for studying rotavirus infection and the
nutritional effects of various components on the intestine.

"We'll be interested to see if we have the same results when we work
with young animals," she said.

Co-authors of the study with Donovan and Andres are Theresa B.
Kuhlenschmidt and Mark S. Kuhlenschmidt of the University of Illinois.
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the
Illinois Soybean Association.


SOURCE: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


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On Sep 9, 1:50 pm, " wrote:
DGNews

Soy Isoflavone May Inhibit Common Gastrointestinal Illness in Infants

URBANA, IL -- September 6, 2007 -- The soy isoflavone genistin--at
concentrations present in soy infant formula-- may reduce a baby's
susceptibility to rotavirus infections by as much as 74 percent,
according to a University of Illinois study published in September's
Journal of Nutrition.

"Rotavirus is the primary cause of diarrhea in infants, affecting
virtually all children before age five. In the United States, it
mainly leads to dehydration, doctor's visits, and parents missing work
to care for sick children. In developing countries, though, rotavirus
causes approximately 611,000 deaths each year," said Sharon Donovan,
the Melissa M. Noel Professor of Nutrition at the U of I.

Although rotavirus vaccines have recently become available, they are
expensive and cannot be given to some infants, she said.

"It's exciting to think that the isoflavones in soy formula could be a
cost-effective nutritional approach to decreasing the incidence and
severity of rotavirus infections, especially among children in
developing countries who are most at risk," said the scientist of her
work with doctoral candidate Aline Andres, who conducted the
experiments.

In the study, cells in culture were exposed to rotavirus in the
absence or presence of soy isoflavones, biologically active compounds
in soy that are thought to have health benefits. Soy contains a number
of different forms of isoflavones, and all were tested individually
and as the complete mixture present in infant formula.

"Genistin and the mixture significantly reduced rotavirus infectivity
by 33 to 74 percent," she said. "But when genistin was taken out of
the mixture, anti-rotavirus activity was lost, suggesting that it is
the active component in reducing infectivity."

Donovan focused her investigation on the isoflavone concentrations
present in soy formula. That was the concentration at which rotavirus
inhibition began to occur and then leveled off, indicating that
there's an effective range, and beyond that, there is no additional
inhibition or toxicity.

"We then exposed the cells to different concentrations of rotavirus.
If an infant had a severe infection or was exposed to a lot of
rotavirus, we wondered if the isoflavones would still be as
effective," she said.

The inhibition held up across a 16-fold range of rotavirus exposure.
"Even at the highest concentration of rotavirus particles, genistin or
the mix of isoflavones inhibited infectivity," said Donovan.

Genistin appeared to diminish infectivity by inhibiting binding of the
virus to tissue-culture cells, she said.

Donovan's laboratory soon plans to begin studies with neonatal
piglets, an excellent model for studying rotavirus infection and the
nutritional effects of various components on the intestine.

"We'll be interested to see if we have the same results when we work
with young animals," she said.

Co-authors of the study with Donovan and Andres are Theresa B.
Kuhlenschmidt and Mark S. Kuhlenschmidt of the University of Illinois.
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the
Illinois Soybean Association.

SOURCE: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Who loves ya.
Tom

Jesus Was A Vegetarian!http://jesuswasavegetarian.7h.com

Man Is A Herbivore!http://tinyurl.com/a3cc3

DEAD PEOPLE WALKINGhttp://tinyurl.com/zk9fk

Soy is not real food.

http://westonaprice.org/search-resul...3A11&q=soy#905

On Sep 9, 2:50 pm, " wrote:
DGNews

Soy Isoflavone May Inhibit Common Gastrointestinal Illness in Infants


Here is a bit more information...

Have a great day!
Roman

Roman Bystrianyk, "Soy with added soy fiber decreases baby's spit up",
Health Sentinel, March 2, 2006,

Regurgitation is a common problem in infants. Approximately 50% of
infants regurgitate one or more times per day during the first 3
months of life. The peak is frequently at 3 months of age and usually
resolves by 6 to 12 months of age. Most infants do not suffer from
long-term problems, but symptoms can result in infant discomfort and
anxiety for the parents. Therapy for the problem ranges from no
intervention, to medication, to anti-reflux surgery.

When basic measures fail to control the problem, two types of
medications are generally used - acid-blocking medications such as
Pepcid, Zantac, and others, and medications that strengthen the tone
of the lower sphincter and increase gastric emptying such as
Propulsid, Reglan, and others.

Nutritional approaches that can decrease this problem carry little
risk, are non-invasive, and can reduce parental anxiety. For more
severe cases nutritional approaches may work with other therapies.

A study in Clinical Pediatrics, examines whether fiber-supplemented
soy formula can reduce regurgitation in infants. The study was
randomized and double-blinded. One group of infants received a
standard milk-based formula or received a soy-based formula with 6
grams of added soy fiber.

After 7 days the average number of regurgitations had decreased by 41%
in the soy plus fiber group and by 6% in the group fed the
conventional cow-milk based formula. After 28 days the number had
decreased by 50% in the soy plus fiber group and by 35% in the cow-
milk based formula group.

"The initial step in management of symptoms of regurgitation is
usually a change in feeding practices and may include a change in
infant formula. Avoidance of cow milk protein and thickening of
feedings with use of a commercial formula or addition of a thickening
carbohydrate are common feeding changes."

The authors conclude that, "this study found a significant decrease in
the incidence of regurgitation when infants were fed a commercial
formula with added soy fiber. A soy formula with 6g/L [grams per
liter] added soy fibers helps alleviate this common feeding problem in
young infants."

SOURCE: Clinical Pediatrics, January/February 2006

http://www.healthsentinel.com/org_ne...st_item&id=080

1.5 million children could be saved

Despite global efforts to control it, diarrhoea is still one of the
most common reasons for the high child mortality rates in many low and
middle-income countries. This according to a doctoral thesis, soon to
be presented at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.
One fifth of all the deaths amongst children under the age of five
that are reported every year are caused by serious diarrhoea.

For many years, Chief physician Birger Forsberg has been working with
international health issues, and has a particular interest in
diarrhoea diseases children in low and middle-income countries.
Although diarrhoea-related death amongst children has declined in the
past thirty years, diarrhoea is still thought to be the cause of
several million child deaths every year.

"Research shows that around 1.5 million children suffering from
diarrhoea can be saved every year with the right treatment," says Dr
Forsberg.

Back in the 1980s the WHO started a special programme to reduce
diarrhoea-related child mortality. The organisation estimated that
about two thirds of all deaths from diarrhoeal diseases were
attributable to violent, watery diarrhoea and acute dehydration. It
therefore promoted the greater use of rehydration solutions with sugar
and salt additives and increased fluid intake. The recommendations
were incorporated in most countries' national health programmes and
active information campaigns were run through the WHO, UNICEF and
national authorities. The use of the recommended treatments
(rehydration or increased fluid intake) has increased but not as much
as desired.

"Even now, in the first decade of the 21st century, my thesis
documents that more than 200 million children suffering from diarrhoea
may still be deprived of this treatment", says Dr Forsberg. "In the
1970s, when rehydration solutions had their medical breakthrough as a
treatment for diarrhoea, no one thought that it would be so difficult
to spread its use."

In his thesis, Dr Forsberg discusses several possible reasons for the
lack of adequate and effective adoption and implementation of
diarrhoea management. Perhaps the information has not reached out to
all households, or perhaps conflicting messages from health providers
confuse users. It is also conceivable that poor and underprivileged
families are unable to take care of the sick child, even if they know
how to.

"Giving rehydration solution to a child with serious diarrhoea is a 24-
hour commitment in the most acute phases, something which might have
to make way for other priorities in households with scant resources,"
says Dr Forsberg. "We also have to realise that childhood diarrhoea in
many areas is just as common as a cold amongst children in Sweden.
This may not keep caretakers on alert when their children contract
diarrhoea."

"It's obvious to us that much still need to be done to improve the
care of children with diarrhoea and to reduce the number of child
deaths from diarrhoeal diseases," he concludes.

Notes for editor
Please register to view editor notes

Reference URL
http://diss.kib.ki.se/2007/978-91-7357-263-7/

Keywords (click on a keyword for related items)
Medical, Policy - health

Peer reviewed publication and references
Doctoral thesis: "Diarrhoeal diseases in low- and middle-income
countries"
The public defence will be taking place on 7 September 2007 in
Stockholm


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On Sep 10, 2:09 pm, ironjustice wrote:
1.5 million children could be saved


Roman Bystrianyk, "30,000 children under the age of five die every
day", Health Sentinel, September 9, 2006,

As we approach the five-year anniversary of the September 11th
terrorist attacks many people will stop to remember that horrific
tragedy. On that day coordinated attacks killed approximately 3,000
people and shook the United States to its foundation. People going
about their daily lives as well as heroes that rushed to the scene to
offer aid and assistance perished in a brutal and unforgiving way.

But as local, dramatic and cruel images burn an impression onto our
minds, common and distant, but equally horrific tragedies all but
vanish from our consciousness. According to a report by the food and
agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) nearly 11 million
children die before reaching the age of five each year. That's the
same as approximately 30,000 children each day or the equivalent 10
September 11th tragedies worth of children dieing each and every day.
And underlying more than half of these child deaths are hunger and
malnutrition.

Although there have been improvements in parts of the world over the
years nearly 800 million people live in a constant state of hunger
today. In addition, 121 million children do not attend school, 530,000
women die during pregnancy and childbirth, and 1 million people die
from malaria.

In 1996, nations took a pledge at the World Food Summit, or WFS, to
make dramatic changes in these conditions. "We pledge our political
will and our common and national commitment to achieving food security
for all and to an ongoing effort to eradicate hunger in all countries,
with an immediate view to reducing the number of undernourished people
to half their present level no later than 2015." Unfortunately, since
the 1990s progress has "slowed significantly in Asia and stalled
completely worldwide."

Although economic growth is often indicated as key to alleviating
poverty and hunger, numerous studies have provided evidence that the
type of economic growth is more important. Analysis has shown that
"growth in rural areas in the agricultural sector has a much greater
impact on reducing poverty that did urban and industrial growth." So
while important, economic growth alone is not sufficient to reduce
hunger.

Education has long been acclaimed as one of the most powerful ways to
reduce hunger and poverty. Lack of education undercuts productivity,
employability and ability to earn money, all leading to poverty and
hunger. Two-thirds of the 121-million school-age children that do not
attend any school are girls. Most live in rural areas where hunger and
poverty is the most common.

Even if children are able to attend school, hunger and malnutrition
impair a child's performance. Low birth weight, protein-energy
malnutrition, anemia (low red blood) and iodine deficiency all impair
learning. "Iron-deficiency anemia, which affects more than half of all
school-age children, damages their ability to learn by eroding
attention span and memory."

Research shows that educated women have healthier families. Their
children are better nourished, are less likely to die in infancy, and
are more likely to attend school. A recent study of 63 countries found
that gains in women's education made the single largest contribution
to the decline of malnutrition from 1970 to 1995 accounting for 43
percent of the progress. A World Bank report showed that providing
gender equal education could save the lives of more than 1 million
children every year.

Hunger and malnutrition are the underlying cause of more than half of
all child deaths each year resulting in the deaths of 6 million
children. However most children do not die of starvation. Treatable
infectious diseases including pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and
measles kill the vast majority of these children. Most would not die
if their bodies were not weakened by malnutrition. "Children who are
mildly underweight are about twice as likely to die of infectious
diseases as children who are better nourished. For children who are
moderately to severely underweight, the risk of death is five to eight
times higher."

Vitamins and minerals are essential to reducing deaths from infectious
diseases. Vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of death from
diarrhea, measles, and malaria by 20 to 24 percent and those deficient
in zinc increase their risk of death from these diseases by 13 to 21
percent. "Shortages of vitamin A and zinc alone cause the deaths of
more than 1.5 million children each year."

Of the nearly 530,000 women that die as a result of complications of
pregnancy and childbirth, nearly 99% of these take place in the
developing world. Most of these deaths could be prevented if women had
access to adequate diets, safe water and sanitation, basic literacy
and health services. Again access to adequate nutrients can make a
huge difference. A case study in Thailand reduced maternal deaths from
230 per 100,000 to 17 per 100,000 in just four years. The program
identified pregnant women and made sure they received food supplements
to improve overall nutrition as well as iron and folic acid
supplements to treat anemia. The program also promoted home gardening
and the consumption of fruits and vegetables to provide vital
micronutrients.

The cost of alleviating this enormous human tragedy is relatively
small. For less than 1 billion dollars - less than the cost of 1 week
of the Iraq war - would provide insecticide-treated bed nets for 70
percent of children in Africa and preventative treatment for people
suffering from malaria attacks. Vitamin A supplements to boost
resistance to malaria and other diseases could be supplied for as
little as 10 cents a year per child.

The report foreword concludes, "For far too long, hunger and poverty
have driven and infernal engine of deprivation and suffering. The time
and the opportunity have finally come to throw that engine into
forward gear - to turn hunger reduction into the driving force for
progress and hope, as improved nutrition fuels better health,
increases school attendance, reduces child maternal mortality,
empowers women, lowers the incidence and mortality rates of AIDS,
malaria and tuberculosis, and helps reverse the degradation of soil
and water resources, the destruction of forests and loss of
biodiversity. It can be done."

"We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children
from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty..." -
Millennium Declaration, 2000

SOURCE: The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2005

http://www.healthsentinel.com/org_ne...nt _list_item