Newsgroup: rec.food.veg
Subject: Penis defects higher for vegetarian women's sons
From: Led <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 18:34:41 +1000

Hi All,

    I recently found the article below in my local newspaper. does
anyone know where i can get the original? i'm not so interested one what
people think of the article, just where i can get more information about
the report.

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            Penis defects higher for vegetarian women's sons
    By Allan Smith

    LONDON, Friday: Vegetarian mothers seem more likely to have a son
born with a genital defect than meat-eating mothers, according to a new
study.
    University researchers in a investigation of more than 7900 moth
found vegetarians were nearly five times more likely to give birth to a
boy with a malformed penis - a condition known as hypospadias.
    The team at the Instite of Child Health at Bristol University says
more research is needed to support their finding, or to show it as a
"rogue result".
    The team stresses that although only 51 boys were found with the
abnormality, the numbers were stastistically significant.
    They reflect other current research indicating an increased
incidence of problems of the male reproductive system - such as low
sperm count, undescended testicles and testicular cancer.
    Project leader Professor Jean Golding says, "We know that vegetables
are good for all sorts of reasons and we are certainly not advocating
that people stop eating vegetables."
    "We think, however, that such studies may help us find answers to
this distressing condition."
    "There is no reason whatever for saying that this is anything to do
with not eating meat. However, it appears that vegetarian mothers are
more at risk of having a child with this genital abnormality."
    The researchers believe crop pesticides ot naturally occuring
chemicals called phytoestrogens could be involved. They are found in
many foodstuffs favoured by vegetarians, particularly soya.

The Canberra Times, Saturday February 27 1999, Page 12

Note: I made a couple of grammical corrects.

--
byebye,
Led