Is anyone worried about adverse effects soy products have on the thyroid?

[Dirty Hippie]

I've been hearing guite a bit about this.

...
It seems that there's isn't a newspaper, magazine or news program that hasn't recently featured a story on the amazing health benefits of soy food products and soy/isoflavone supplements. Soy is promoted as a healthy alternative to estrogen replacement for some women, as a possibly way to reduce the risk of breast cancer, as a way to minimize menopause symptoms, and as a healthier, low-fat protein alternative for meats and poultry. But what all the positive stories fail to mention is that there is a very real -- but very overlooked -- downside to the heavy or long-term use of soy products.

Soy products increase the risk of thyroid disease. And this danger is particularly great for infants on soy formula.

This is not information that the powerful and profitable U.S. soy industry wants you to know. The sale of soy products is big business, and the increasing demand for soy protein products, soy powders and soy isoflavone supplements is making that an even more profitable business than ever before.

In researching my book, Living Well With Hypothyroidism, which covers the issue of soy products and the thyroid in great depth, I talked to Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick, an environmental scientist and phytoestrogen researcher who has conducted in-depth studies on soy, particularly the use of soy formulas. Dr. Fitzpatrick makes it clear that soy products can have a detrminental affect on both adults and infants. In particular, he firmly believe that soy formula manufacturers should remove the isoflavones -- that part of the soy products that act as anti-thyroid agents -- from their products.
...

More: http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/soydangers.htm

Please note this is just one of many web sites that discuss the link between soy products and the Thyroid in both children and adults.

[Elad]

1. More current research has found that soy is only a problem for

your thyroid if you are deficient in iodine. So no, I am not worried. :)

to clarify: most of the claims about soy and thyroid are based on older studies which attempted to find a link between soy and hypothyroidism. When these claims were researched further, they found that soy did have an adverse affect on the thyroid, but only if you were deficient in iodine. People with normal iodine levels saw no major changes in blood TSH levels.

[Dirty Hippie]

3. I'm really glad to hear this.

I love my Miso and soy sauce. Do you have any links to the research you refer to in your post?

[Elad]

5. A quick look on Google turned this up

The research is out there for anyone who wants to look it up, it's generally considered pretty common knowledge among nutritionists.

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/soydoerge.htm

-snip-

These findings have led Dr. Doerge to conclude that additional factors appear necessary for soy to cause overt thyroid toxicity. These factors include:

* iodine deficiency
* consumption of other soy components
* other goitrogens in the diet
* other physiological problems in synthesizing thyroid hormones.

-snip-

[smbolisnch]

2. I'm not worried either.

However, I don't eat a large amount of soy to begin with. :shrug: I mostly eat fruits and veggies, legumes, whole wheat pastas etc. I only occasionaly eat tofu or drink soy milk. I am somewhat pick about it! :)

[flvegan]

4. Nope. Won't regurgitate Elad's note, but I will say this

If the ole thyroid was acting up, I'd just down a bit 'o kelp each day and be done with it. Natch, the kelp wouldn't be from Norway, you whaling bastards.

BTW, nice work Elad on that post.

[smurfygirl]

6. NO

One month it is coffee is bad for you, the next month they say it's good. Regardless the health benefits from soy outweigh a incomplete study saying it's bad for you. Nice try from the dairy industry who is really concerened they are losing more customers than ever. Also, this study was done using only GMO soy. Not organic. I believe most of us eat organic soy. Ask chinese people about their thyroids. They eat soy daily. I think their health is significantly better than ours. And this is just one more example of how important breast feeding is. Thanks for posting this.