Susan, can I ask you a question? Reading this its obvious I've come in in the middle of a topic, so I'm rather lost. I'm Hypothyroid and have been for about 35 years. I really like tofu and have recently started incorporating it into my diet on a more consistent basis. I'm also incorporating more soy. What effects, adverse or otherwise, are you referring to in connection to the thyroid? I don't want to do anything that is going to slow it down any more than it already is. Thank you

Alexis

If anyone comes across any links related to soy milk and health (negative or positive), I'd like to read it and maybe send it on to my parents. They seem to heavily drink this milk lately. I swear my dad mentioned that it was making him gain weight! I love tofu, but I guess it's like everything else, use in moderation.

Alexis, if you Google thyroid soy you'll probably find out more than you want to know, some from reliable sources, some not.

I was just seeing what Dr. Andrew Weil has to say on the subject. I have more confidence in him than I do Dr. Mercola. Weil says in part:

I'm aware of Internet paranoia on the subject of soy and the contention that only fermented soy is safe to consume. That is simply not true. Some of the best forms of soy - edamame, tofu and soy nuts - are unfermented and are much more likely to help you than hurt you.

He later addresses the thyroid issue on the same page of his website: click here.

I think the bottom line is that soy can possibly interfere with thyroid function if you have an underlying thyroid condition, and can possibly have an adverse impact on supplemental thyroid hormones. As I noted above, it didn't seem to have affected my husband's thyroid at all. And since it's so obvious to me that cabbage affects my thyroid, and yet I notice no change from eating soy foods, I would say soy doesn't bother me.

To see if it bothers you, try to take note of the various thyroid indicators, plus how you're feeling.

Hate to say it, but I react badly to quite a few other foods, so my diet has been rather limited for some years.

What Patti says about reading labels brings up another point: Some experts stress that natural soy is safe, but the same is not true for genetically modified soy. Most good quality tofu is made from natural, often organic, soybeans. That's certainly what we used in our business. But processed foods manufactured by the big food guns (a.k.a. "Big Soy") often contain genetically engineered soy. Not good.

Zeetera, there's soymilk and there's soymilk. Do you know what brand your parents are drinking? I know of at least one, 8th Continent, that contains relatively large amounts of sugar. Some other brands, including Silk, come in various flavors and types. I use Silk Brain & Bone Health (unflavored) and Organic Unsweetened (also unflavored). But Silk also sells Vanilla, Very Vanilla, Chocolate, etc.

I drank soy milk for a short time but quit because I became moody and weepy. I am hypothyroid, but I think the soy for me messed more with my female hormones. I avoid soy now.

The link below is anti-soy, but very informative. You can do a google search on Dangers of Soy or Benefits of Soy and come up with thousands of hits for each.

My biggest concern is the infant formulas with soy. One of my nephews became allergic to regular formula and had to switch to soy. He is now 15 with asthma. Thyroid disease runs in both sides of his family... so there's a real increased chance of him becoming hypothyroid.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dangers of Soy

Thanks Alisande. I'll find out what type it is. They're using it as a source of calcium.

Susan, thank you for the information and the link. I think I will err on the side of caution, and consume these products in moderation. There is no definitive answer, like so much else out there, the arguments run the gamit for pros and cons. I've managed ok for the last 35 years with out changing my soy intake, so why change now. Still I'll keep my tofu on ocassion. I to enjoy that.

I'm hypothyroid and have since cut down on my soy consumption. I switched from soymilk to regular milk. I cut down on soy sauce. I still use tofu in moderation.
Donna

I didn't see Lydia's link before I posted last, thanks.

Maybe if I read my emails from my dad I would have discovered that he already knew about this. He had sent me the link below which is similar to Lydia's. I never checked to see if it's true.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spilling the Beans