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LARRIAN REPORTS

 

Hypothyroidism and Soy
Hypothyroid patients need to avoid soy
Soy What's Wrong?. . .
More than 300 food products with soy protein will be added to grocery store shelves this year, along with hundreds of new supplements featuring soy and soy isoflavones.Millions of women will add or increase soy to their diet, or start taking isoflavone or soy supplements. Do you really understand the consequences to your health? 

Isoflavones are a serious concern for women, who are unaware of their anti-estrogenic, anti-thryoid effect. However, simply removing them from foods negates the FDA approved health claim that soy lowers cholesterol.

In yet another move by the soybean industry, Heart and Health Reports cited a summary of 38 studies demonstrating the lowering effect of soy on cholesterol. The nutritionist emphasized the need for BOTH soy protein and isoflavone consumption, citing either alone was ineffective. Just to make things more interesting, you need to consume a MINIMUM of 50mg of isoflavones and 25gm of soy protein to have even a 10% drop in cholesterol. 

Obviously, they forgot about women in these studies, especially those of us in menopause or affected by hypothyroidism. As described in The Menopause Diet, more than 30 mg of isoflavones can send your thyroid into shutdown by blocking thyroid peroxidase enzymes and stimulating anti-thyroid antibodies. Over-the counter "natural estrogens" such as Promensil, also have very high doses of isoflavones derived from red clover instead of soy, but the effect is the same. Soy isoflavones ar anti-estrogen, affecting sex drive, thyroid function and even tumor cell growth. Like all things, we need to include variety in our diet, consuming no more than one serving of soy a day...just don't go overboard!

A recent study found that as many as 10 percent of the population --double previous estimates -- have an undiagnosed thyroid condition. This may mean as many as 13 million Americans have undiagnosed thyroid problems...the vast majority of them women, particular women in their 40s and 50s. This is the same group that, responding to marketing claims that sell soy as helping to prevent breast cancer, reducing the risk of high cholesterol or heart disease, or as a treatment for symptoms of menopause, are turning to soy foods and isoflavone supplements in vast numbers.

Soy foods containing isoflavones in excess of 40mg can worsen an existing diagnosed or undiagnosed thyroid problem in many people, but the symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, and depression or moodiness are often overlooked and hard to diagnose.


A glass a day melts the thyroid away From USA Womans World, Mar 16 2001. AVOIDING SOY.... as little as 30mg of soy isoflavones--the amount in 5-8 ounces of soy milk - have been proven to suppress thyroid function. For Full Article, See: "Doses Simplified" posted on Soyonlineservice.com.

Effect of soy protein on endogenous hormones in postmenopausal women
Persky, Turyk, 2002

"The concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone was highest in the soy protein with 90mg isoflavones group." Soy protein with more than 50mg isoflavones does not raise estrogens but significantly increases TSH levels in proportion to the amount of isoflavones added to the soy protein.

Key Soy-Related Links:

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