<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Here's something interesting I recently read in a book about
hypothyroidism by Dr. Ken Blanchard, a Boston endocronilogist.  (These
are HIS words, not mine, so please don't argue with me about this!  ha
ha!)  This is just a little FYI.  I'm only sharing information.  You must
decide what's best for you.

"PHYTOESTROGENS--THE ANTITHYROID?"

        Health food sages often extol the miraculous health benefits of soy:
lowering the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, and other
maladies.  While recognizing its potential, researchers are concerned
about the hyperbole surrouding its role in a healthful diet.  Experts
especially question the safety of ingesting high doses of phytoestrogen,
a mysterious ingredient that is now under local and national
investigation.  The claims swing wildly.  One researcher espouses its
value as a natural, nontoxic replacement for the now-condemned oral
estrogen replacement regimen.  Others, especially those concerned about
thyroid health, see it as a threat to the thyroid -- especially in
infants on soy formula.
        Not all of the soybean is bad, according to the experts.  Just the
isoflavone portion--the part extolled by health gurus for its ability to
prevent heart attack and reduce menopausal symptoms.  Isoflavones are
endocrine disrupters.  Endocrine disrupters interfere with the endocrine
system by acting like hormones and faking out the immune system.  You
might also hear about flavonoids, which is the family name for chemicals
that include isoflavones (and bioflavonoids).  On the flip side, these
chemicals are known as goitrogens.  Goitrogens fasten to iodine moledules
in the gut--and steal iodine from T4 or T3 [thyroid hormones].  As a
result, thyroid hormone levels are reduced.
        The concerns about soy are widespread and faily well publicized.  The TV
news show 20/20 picked up on the issue when two FDA soy experts, Daniel
Doerge and Daniel Sheehan, wrote a letter in 1999 protesting the health
claims for soy approved by the FDA.  Here's an excerpt from the letter:

        ". . . there is abundant evidence that some of the isoflavones found in
soy . .  demonstrate toxicity in estrogen sensitive tissues and in the
thyroid.  This is true for a number of species, including humans.
        "Additionally, isoflavones are inhibitors of the thyroid peroxidase
which makes T3 and T4.  Inhibition can be expected to generate thyroid
abnormalities, including goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis.  There exists
a significant body of animal data that demonstrates goitrogenic and even
carcinogenic effects of soy products.  Moreover, there are significant
reports of goitrogenic effects from soy consumption in human infants and
adults."

        The negative claims against soy are dramatic.  One woman asserted that
eating a high-tofu diet for just a few days a week set her menstrual
periods off balance for three months.  Faster brain aging, infertility,
lower libido, and autoimmune problems (later in life among infants
drinking soy formula) are just some of the reported problems, which many
clinical authorities and, of course, the very profitable soy industry are
disputing.
        If you're hypothyroid, should you believe that bad hype about soy?  The
controversy rages and the jury is still out.  In the meantime, it
bohooves you to limit your daily intake of this known goitrogen, as well
as others.

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