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Substantial equivalence, Lappe, etc, reply to archive 1602

>> Every one I have talked too feels that his results are within
>> the normal range of variation in soybeans.
>>
>
>Wytze asked: Than what is substantial equivalence? In all the applications there is no mention of this wide range of variation.

I don't understand your point. This variation is well documented in the literature. Monsanto's plants fall within that variation. How is that not substantially equivalent? You have read Lape's view; it seems only fair that you also see Monsanto's response. See below.



>> There are lots of creationists out there who don't believe in evolution,
>> some even with PhDs and MDs, many with very scientific sounding arguments.
>> I am not prepared to accept that any of them is right.
>>
>
>Just because they are creationists? This tells me more about you than about the
>creationists.

Wytze, because they reject overwhelming evidence that life evolved over millions of years in favor of a Biblical view that God created all in 7 days roughly 4000 years ago. Will you defend that?




A study scheduled for publication June 25 in the new Journal of Medicinal Foods (JMF) claims that Roundup Ready soybeans have reduced levels of isoflavones -- sometimes called phytoestrogens. However, the American Soybean Association (ASA) released a backgrounder June 23 that says the study actually confirms what soybean experts have known for a long time: that isoflavones (a key nutritional component) are highly variable. This is a fact well-characterised in existing scientific literature.

What are isoflavones?
Isoflavones are plant-derived molecules possessing some estrogen-like activity. These molecules have different roles in animal tissues than in plants. Many diverse plants contain isoflavones, but soy, soy products, and other legumes provide most of the isoflavones found in the Western food supply. The major isoflavones are genistein, diadzein and coumesterol, whose structures are very similar to the human estrogen: estradiol. Additionally, given the tremendous variability in isoflavone levels that naturally occurs in different soybean varieties (variations ranging from 200 to 800 percent) or the variability observed within the same soybean variety that is grown under different environmental conditions (300 to 500 percent), leading scientists have stated that the minor differences (12 to 14 percent) presented in the JMF (Lappe's) study are well within the range one would expect to see and are of no biological or clinical significance.

Why is the subject of isoflavones so important?
In recent years, certain soy isoflavones, particularly genistein, have been the subject of quite extensive research. A compilation of papers on isoflavones appears in Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Isoflavones may have significant health benefits for humans. For example, in populations consuming high levels of isoflavones (for example, Japanese) the incidence of certain chronic conditions and diseases is significantly lower than in populations who do not consume high levels. Researchers have only recently begun to test this hypothesis with rigorous research and prospective human clinical trials.

What are the health benefit claims for isoflavones?
The isoflavone genistein, for example, may:
1. Reduce the risk of breast cancer;
2. Reduce the risk of prostate cancer;
3. Increase bone density in post-menopausal women (where there is a deficiency in estrogen); and
4. Reduce pre-menopausal symptoms (for example, hot flashes, leg cramps).

Furthermore, in medical literature, isoflavones have been associated with reducing cardiovascular disease risks by improving the blood vessels' ability to expand when extra oxygen is needed in tissues such as the heart. Studies suggest that soy isoflavones may play an important role reducing the potential for heart disease.
How has the scientific community responded to the JMF study?
"The data analysed by the authors [of the JMF study] are well within the range of variability of isoflavones exhibited in any soybean variety," said Dr. Stephen Barnes, University of Alabama-Birmingham professor of pharmacology and toxicology.

Such variability of isoflavones is common in soybeans due to varietal influences and environmental factors such as weather, soil, etc. Dr. Clare Hasler, executive director of the Functional Foods for Health Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Medicinal Foods, expressed her concern about the JMF paper. She said, "Concluding that the results of the JMF paper are biologically relevant would be inappropriate and misleading since the scientific literature clearly suggests that isoflavone amounts in soybeans can vary as much as 300 percent or more."

Recent research being prepared for publication by the University of Illinois shows that numerous environmental factors, such as weather during the growing season, and even the slope of the field where the soybeans are grown, can lead to variability in the isoflavone content of soybeans.

"Variability is due to the varietal component and the environmental component," said Dr. Don Bullock, associate professor of Biometry, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Right now, the environmental effect is far greater then the varietal effect."

What tests did Monsanto do to pass U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agency scrutiny?
Monsanto conducted extensive safety studies, following FDA, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare, Health Canada and other global regulatory agency guidelines established several years ago on Roundup Ready soybeans and processed soybean products. Animal feeding studies and additional work measuring 400 individual components, including isoflavone levels, have confirmed that Roundup Ready soybeans are equivalent in terms of composition and nutrition and are as safe as current commercial soybean varieties. This landmark work was published in the respected Journal of Nutrition in 1996.



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