New study in EHP: Still more questions than answers about safety of soy-based infant formula

Sometimes when I post my articles here, I preface them with a brief intro or explanation. Sometimes the first paragraph or two of the story itself does the trick best. This is one of those cases. So without further ado, here's the first graf of my latest "Science Selection" for EHP, a news story on a newly published paper identifying a potential link between soy formula intake and changes to DNA in baby girls:

For years, parents have contended with conflicting reports in the media and blogosphere on the safety of soy infant formula. Soybeans contain phytoestrogens, which under some conditions mimic or interfere with the estrogens within the human body. However, the National Toxicology Program concluded in 2009, based on the research to that point, that exposures to phytoestrogens in soy formula are of “minimal concern.” Research in the field continues apace, with a new study providing evidence of an association between soy formula consumption and differences in gene methylation in baby girls—although any health implications remain unknown.

Read more here.