Oh man! I can't believe this!!!!

dss62467

dss62467

Cathlete
I just read in this month's issue of Health and Wellness that if you are taking medication for low thyroid (I am), you shouldn't consume much soy (I kinda do). They say that you can have it in moderation, such as 4 oz. of soy milk every other day. Here I am trying to get the recommended amount of soy protein every day (25g) and now I find out it's lowering my thyroid function. Even my favorite cereal (Kashi Go Lean) has more soy protein that 4oz. of soy milk.

Oh! And I guess I'll have to go back to peanut butter instead of soynut butter. I eat that every day too!!!!

On second thought, though, I've had my levels tested since I've been consuming so much soy and they haven't come back low. Maybe I'll just go back to organic skim milk and keep my Kashi. I'll have to switch to a different protein supplement too, since I've been using a soy protein.
 
Donna, this is interesting. Can you please give me more details on the connection between soy and thyroid? I've found that my cycle seems to be very sensitive to soy. Both times that I've introduced it into my diet, I've gotten breakthrough (heavy, period-like) bleeding mid-cycle, for the first month. Then I started having very, very long cycles. I know there is a link between cycles and thyroid, and my experience seems to indicate that there is a soy connection for me, as well.

I hope you can find a solution to your dilemma! It's always frustrating when you learn that something you thought was a good thing, could actually be harming you in the long run x(

Cheers,
Sandra
 
I'd simply get a TSH to see if the soy is truly affecting your thyroid function. There has been a lot of misinformation surrounding soy lately. It is a staple in Asian countries and their rate of hypothroidism is actually far lower than in the US (same is true for breast cancer). I am not saying soy is the reason for these differences, just that they are consuming far more than we do and they aren't suffering from these diseases at the rate we do. I will do a lit search today and see what I can find in the clinical journals. I'll post what I find.
 
Here's another one you won't believe. They're saying now to avoid large amounts of certain vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. Goitrogens, they're called. (Soy is also a goitrogen, apparently.) Here's a website describing goitrogens: http://www.ithyroid.com/goitrogens.htm

I guess eating these veggies raw is especially bad. How's that for a bummer? First they tell us thyroid problems make weight control difficult. Then they tell us that eating lots of good veggies help us lose weight. Then they tell us NOT to eat lots of these good veggies because it will cause thyroid problems which will make weight control more difficult. Help!

Here's another good one. I went to an endocrinologist a couple of weeks ago because I can't seem to lose weight no matter what I do. One of the things he told me was that losing weight would help with blood sugar control and good blood sugar control would make weight loss easier. Duh! I went there because I CAN'T lose weight and he tells me, essentially, that losing weight will help. Ahhhhh!!!!!

Shari x(
 
Shari-
Heavens! Forget that. I can't give up those veggies. Let my doctor tell me I need to give them up, but anything short of that and I'm not paying attention. x(
 
OK - well, I'll reproduce what the blurb says, because they haven't published the newsletter on their website yet. I have an appointment with my doctor next month for my regular thyroid check-up, so I'm gonna ask him about it. Until then, I guess I'll back off on it a bit.

Eating soy can lower thyfoid function, especially if you are currently taking medication for it, says Richard Shames, M.D., a found member of the American Holistic Medical Association, blah blah...Soy is touted as very healthy food, partly because of its isoflavones, which is why ist is recommended for menopausal women. The problem is that one of these isoflavones, called genistein, can interfere with the functioning of your thyroid gland.

However, Shames emphasizes that you would have to eat upward of 50mg of soy isoflavones before you would see a signficant effect. So a person who occasionally eats soy as part of an American diet will not have a problem, he says. "But if you are deliberately eating a lot of soy because it's supposed to be healthy, then it could become a problem."

Even if you have a thyroid problem, you can still eat soy, says Shames, but include it modestly. One serving of a soy food every other dy or every third day would be find, such as 4 oz. of soymilk, 2 oz. of tofu, or 1 teaspoon of miso.
 
My thyroid stopped functioning just before my 9th birthday and after 30+ years of dealing with it, I've learned that it is enormously important to take thyroid supplements very early in the day, as many hours away from iron preparations (my particular version of Hashimoto's causes life-threatening anemia), iron rich foods and, believe it or not, regular tea. I wonder if the same might not be true of soy. It bugs me to no end that most doctors (even endocrinologists) are so clueless about nutrition and the impact of certain vitamins and minerals on other vitamins, minerals and medications. Just my personal rant. Sorry for hijacking the thread.

Carole
 
Any input given is not "hijacking", it's welcome. Especially since you are obviously very experienced with this. I just was diagnosed with low thyroid a little over a year ago, so I don't really know that much. It does bug me that my doctor never mentioned soy to me. The literature I snagged from his office didn't say anything about it either.
 
Thanks, I actually switched back to skim milk this morning. It tasted kind of weird to me. My cat was happy, though. She has been so disappointed every day since I started the soy milk because I give her what's left in my bowl after cereal. She just looks at the soymilk and walks away. She was a happy kitty this morning!

I think I'm not going to risk it. I know organic skim milk is safe, and it actually has more protein than the soymilk.
 
Then why do the Chinese not have a problem with this?

I wonder if this problem is brought about more by eating processed soy or soy extracts (isolated soy protein, concentrated soy protein, TVP-texturized vegetable/soy protein) like in soy burgers, rather than more natural soy sources like edamame, tofu (which has traditionally been eaten a lot in China), miso, tempeh, soy milk.

I try to stick to the "natural" soy sources, and use a rice/pea protein powder for my morning fruit smoothies.
 
Has anyone read the Eat Right for Your Type book? I've read some of it and thyroid condition is one of the first things I noticed for Type Os. The author seems to be pretty knowledgeable about thyroid condition and what not to eat. I also remember reading that cabbage and cauliflower are not good for you if you have hypothyroidism.

I'm really curious to know how many members on this board have Type O blood. The book mentions that Type Os need really intense workouts, unlike some blood types that benefit alot from yoga. This really seems to be true for me. The tougher workouts have always appealed to me. I love doing weight workouts more than anything. I have to force myself to do cardio.
 
I have the same situation, loving soy and then finding about the interaction between synthroid and soy. However, I talked with my doctor about it and he said to keep away from it for 6 hours then have it. I take my pill in the morning on an empty stomach. Of course, I have taken the amounts of soy down but I think you should talk with your doctor about it and get his opinion.
 
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