Soy and Thyroid

Does anyone know what the side effects of soy are and how they affect the thyroid?  I heard that you shouldn't have more than 2 servings of soy a day.

Where did you hear that?

Soy CAN act like estrogen, somewhat (the phytoestrogens soy has), but as far as I know, there are no studies showing that soy is bad for you and you should only have 2 servings of soy a day.

According to Skinny Bitch: ?However, there are opponents to soy, who claim that it can negatively impact the thyroid, cause mineral deficiencies, and raise the risk of breast cancer.  But according to health expert Dr. Andrew Weil, ?There is still much to be learned about soy, but the majority of research so far has shown that it?s a safe and nutritious food when eaten in reasonable amounts?about one or two daily servings.??

This book is really good.  I think I have hyperthyroidism.  I'm going to see a doctor at the end of the month, but I was just wondering if anyone else has heard anything about soy affecting the thyroid.  My fiance's mom is a nurse and said something about it also.

I like Andrew Weil's recommendation there.  I'm of the opinion that too much of any food (including soy) probably isn't healthy.

I was reading about this connection between soy and hypothyroid just the other day.   If you just google "soy and hypothyroid" you'll come across a number of articles and studies on the topic.

Here's one.

I have a friend with polycystic ovary disease and she can't have soy, due to her own hormonal imbalances. For everyone else, though, have you heard of the Okinawa elders study? These people were all living well past 100 and in great mental and physical shape. If I recall correctly, they ate a lot of tofu and limited their caloric intake. Pretty cool. More tofu for me, please! ; )

this is half remembered information, coming from an amateur, but I believe somewhere I read that there are different types of soy and that some can cause elevated levels more so than others?  If I saved that somewhere I will come back and repost.  But I do not remember where I read this.  ~ Lost
.

I also remember (vaguely) that soy works differently when you eat it with meat.  It was in an article about using tofu as a meat replacement in a vegetarian diet, and the article was suggesting that Asian studies might not translate well because asians often eat tofu with a meat-based broth.  But I forget exactly what the difference was supposed to be.  If I can find it again, I'll post it.

i don't really have to worry about it since I dont have a thyroid, LOL... had it removed due to cancer... yes you can live without it, most ppl however (including myself) are on meds to keep the body working... as for soy damaging it in some way, i dunno... but if ur thyroid is over or under active, that can and will lead to weight loss or weight gain... for me it was weight gain... so if you think something may be wrong with ur thyroid, please get it checked... my parents and i didn't find anything out until almost 10 yrs after i started gaining weight, for no reason (my treats of choice are veggies and always have been)

My fiance's mom also doesn't have one and she is the one who brought it up to me.  I'm going to get checked the 25th--my heart rate is always over 100, and sometimes I feel my thyroid--just a weird feeling--no pain, so I believe I might have an enlarged thyroid, but we'll see!

SOY -was told if you are on thyroid meds it can affect dosage. I am hypothyroid and am on levoxyl. I still have soy milk with cereal. Not really sure how much could be too much.

I have hypothyroidism, and soy definitely effects it. Soy works as a depressant for your thyroid, causing it to produce less of the hormone. Those who do not have hypothyroidism already are not affected the same way, if at all. But if you do have an underactive thyroid, don't eat soy. It makes me feel incredibly tired, even if I've taken my medicine, had plenty of sleep, etc. 

I was diagnosed when I was 24, now I'm 42.  Still so much to learn.

Yes, this is my understanding as well.  Apparently soy is not the only food that may have a negative effect on the thyroid.

Here's just one link:  http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/soydange rs.htm

Another interesting link:
http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18912/2313 /3

If anything, I believe I have hyperthyroidism.  My thyroid feels slightly enlarged and my heart rate is always high.  If this is the case, soy probably wouldn't effect me, or could possibly be beneficial???

Lorilie24, This is the kind of issue you should see a specialist about.  Soon.

hey renekane... got anything for ppl with no thyroid? i read those articles and it gets me to thinking i would like to know more

Not sure about people with no thyroid, but as for the issue of too much soy, I believe it has to be a huge amount to have negative effects. I live in Japan where people eat large amounts of soy daily in many forms- miso soup (sometimes in a fish broth but not always), tofu, green soybeans, fermented soy beans, powdered soy beans, soy milk, and as we all know the Japanese are the longest lived people on the planet. They are also generally quite slim, and age well, so they must be doing something right!

Seems like the Okinawan's were the folks studied and living a very long time.  The researchers also mentioned that as the younger generations fall away from the traditional life-styles that they are dying younger than their older relatives and developing some very western health problems.

If I recall correctly, the Okinawans did not eat a high amount of soy daily either, at least not altered/prepared varieties (morning star, etc).

Of course, could just be that Rene has a poor memory.