Your argument lacks a statistical backbone; you say that this "bitch-tit" epidemic comes at the same time as soy is becoming popular but that is only correlation, not causation. My dog once came in my front door the same time my garage door broke; did my dog cause the garage door to break? No, just as the popularity of soy emerging at the same time as the epidemic does not cause the epidemic. There are other factors to consider, such as the decrease in physical activity of the average American and the increase in consumerism towards foods with higher sugar content and higher fat content other than just soybeans.

Edited by author 06-27-2003 05:22 PM
Somewhat OT, but I'm curious: John, why do only some of your guestblog entries receive 'Discuss' links?

(I note troublemaker also asked this question too, a few posts back. Any comments?)

A single piece of hard evidence or even some dreaded statistics that did something to back up these baseless assumptions would be *something*, especially from someone who is supposedly a really bright journalist.

But baseless assumption fueled by personal distaste and visual titillation is all we can expect from the journalism world nowadays. John's clearly no exception.

"Is it just a coincidence that... unreferenced trend is happening at the same time as other unreferenced trend?" Way to do the real in-depth reporting there, John. Thanks for spreadi ng the FUD.

Going to gynecomastia.org finds a number of causes of gynecomastia -- the majority of which are hereditary, genetic, or a glandular problem. There is also of course the gynecomastia associated with the hormone and other treatments for testicular cancer, or from steroid use.

Nothing about eating any certain foods. This is just from John's imagination after reading a very selective and narrow set of web pages.

Maybe he's playing a joke on BoingBoing readers. I hope so.

I've never been one for conspiracy theories really, but perhaps the argument would be aided by some diet/lifestyle research garnered from certain parts of Asia, where soy has been a prominent feature in diets for far longer than the US...?

I'd always assumed there were weight issues in the US due, on average, to very large portions and very little exercise.

It would be so easy to crack a few jokes here, and you have to admit, the guy in the photo there has some great tits, but I can't imagine the pain this condition would cause. I feel the reference to Soy is just tongue-in-cheek, as a satrical rebuttle to the previous conspiracy theories on bovine hormones.

What a drag this "bitch tits" thing is, although I don't know why it isn't called "butch tits" "boy boobs". Thats the way things go though, isn't it. The hair on my head is falling out, hair is growing in my ears and nose like wildfire, and I have to work out like a m-f'er to keep my belly from becoming a basketball. Just imagine all that, and then you start growing jugs!

The real bummer of it is, all the good stuff is wasted on the young. I see some 19 year old goofball, with 20 earrings and tats all over his body, with clothes on that are hanging off his ass like an unmade bed, and he has a fine, nubile babe under his arm. This kid has no idea how lucky he is, and frankly, his little punk self doesn't deserve that. I bet he makes her pay for his meals, plays video games instead of taking her out dancing or something, leaves his skid-marked underwear on the floor, doesn't flush the toilet, and then wants three blow jobs a day.

If men are becoming 'feminized' by soy, etc. products, then why is everyone so damn BALD still?!

My penis has actually grown since I began to drink soy milk in the morning and my breasts are smaller.....so your theory's are wrong...

anyone notice that JD's last two posts have no discussion links - any ideas on that?

Pinning the blame on soy products is a bit like blaming death metal music for the Columbine tradgedy:

"Pesticides such as DDT, along with pollutants including dioxin and PCBs, have been blamed for feminizing effects in male animals and for a worldwide decrease in human sperm counts." http://www.worldandi.com/public/1996/march/ar4.cfm

"Inadvertently the livestock feed of a farm in Michigan was contaminated with the pesticide Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB), a "weak" estrogen imitator. Pregnant women and mothers that breast fed their children who consumed the meat of these animals were horrified to find that their male children developed genital deformities and very small penises. In Taiwan, Chinese scientists have under observation 118 male children of mothers that were contaminated with PBC in an accidental spill in 1989. These boys are suffering from the same painful complications as those from Michigan. In lakes with high concentrations of DDT and DDE, pesticides that also have estrogenic effects, the fauna has been severely degenerated. Alligators of the Apopka lake in Florida have lost virility because of low testosterone and sperm count, consequently the size of their male organs are a fourth of the norm. The Great Lakes are gravely polluted with PCB and DDT, many fish and seagulls that eat them, have developed grotesque hormonal dysfunction that make them hermaphrodite, according to Theo Colburn of the World Wildlife Fund."
http://cancerresourcecenter.com/articles/article38.html

Men and women of NA, look at your own love of plastics and cheap produce!

the FDA has not yet approved cetanphynell.....although it is allowing its use by soy manufacturers....this is not new....its been going on for over 12 years here in California...I too share concerns about it's use....if they know this stuff is basically an estrogen supplement why are men being allowed to ingest it in large quantities?

As for bitch tits, I think this is more homage to the fact that American men have no balls, and in fact, are pussies....look at Clay Atkins, George """""Bush""""" and Brad Pitt.... they will all have tits one day...they are all pussies still sucking at the teat...wether it is soy or bovine...

Do some research into the manufacturing of soy products...what you won't find is much mention of the extraction agent, cetanphynell-4,although it is used in conjunction with the majority of soy products from milk to curd. Originally designed as a pesticide, it was found to compliment the processing of soy so well that it was formally adopted by most American companies over 5 years ago....WITHOUT ANY RESEARCH INTO ITS LONG TERM EFFECTS!!This agent is 150 more toxic than nicotine and most companies do not even list it in their labels....although the FDA claims it has "proven safe for human consumption" other findings suggest it may result in "abnormal levels of estrogen and a decrease in testicular function in men"...having worked in th Canadian soy industry for over 9 years I can honestly say I no longer eat soy products and if you dont want a nice pair of jugs you shouldnt either!

I've got mild G.

In September my chest started to hurt. I'm growing tissue.

I've been really dormant since September, working a new desk job and no exercise. When I ride the bike regularly the pain goes away. My testosterone levels are low too, but I'm functional. I don't know what the hell is going on.

Jodi you raise some interesting points.

In /m48 you write:
I LOVE how these soy sellers say their products "Promote estrogen balance". What does this mean?

It is a claim that sounds beneficial but does not require any
FDA approval to me. See for documentation this story from
the Center for Science in the Public Interest's Nutrition
Action Healthletter (my dad is a subscriber):

http://www.cspinet.org/nah/06_03/claim.pdf

And in /m49 you talk about soy milk not being good for babies.
I think any lactation consultant could tell you, nothing is as
good as human milk for human babies.

pasted from http://www.vegansociety.com/html/info/info18.html

Recent Concerns About Phytoestrogens & Soya Baby Milks:
Recent research from New Zealand(1) raises concerns about the potential adverse effects of phytoestrogens in soya baby milks. The 1994 report from New Zealand examines the toxicity of soya and questions the suitability of feeding babies soya-based infant formulas. The report was co-authored by New Zealand aviculturists Richard and Valerie James, among others, who, ... conferring with other experienced aviculturists and animal breeders in New Zealand, Australia and the US, discovered widespread breeding, growth and behavioural problems and deaths in finches, rabbits, poultry, guinea pigs, cats and fish. Analyses of commercial bird feed and other animal feed indicated that soya ingredients were associated with the toxic effects. They then became concerned about the effects on infants fed a soya-milk formula. From analyses of levels of isoflavones (soya phytoestrogens) in soya-based infant formulas available in New Zealand, the researchers calculated that the biological effects of phytoestrogens typically consumed by a baby drinking soya milk would be 100 times greater than the amount of natural oestrogen the child would receive from breast milk. Their research prompted the New Zealand government to undertake a review of soya-based products for human consumption and to take the issue up with the World Health Organisation.

...
However, evidence also indicates that their action in the human body is complex, and that exposure to endogenous oestrogens, including phytoestrogens in the womb and during early childhood, may pose risks to sexual development. US researcher Claude Hughes and colleagues conclude that exposure to phytoestrogens in the womb and during childhood "could easily exceed the narrow bounds of optimal or physiologic levels and thus be of significant toxicologic concern."(3)

Amounts of Phytoestrogens in Soya
The Food Commission asked companies supplying soya baby milks in the UK to provide information on levels of phytoestrogens. Wyeth (which makes SMA Wysoy - not a completely vegan formula) states that: "Our soy formula contains no more than 20-28µcg/ml (of phytoestrogens) in the reconstituted product". This appears to be approximately two-thirds of the levels found in New Zealand formulas.

soy products DO contain phytoestrogens. I LOVE how these soy sellers say their products "Promote estrogen balance". What does this mean? Is my estrogen imbalanced? If it isn't, then doesn't the soy product produce estrogen IMbalance??