Soya

[Gerib]

Hi, I'm Thyroixine and I keep seeing articles that say you shouldn't have Soya as it affects the effectiveness of Throxine! As a vegan this is quite a large part of my diet, anybody know the facts or have an opinion on this? I was thinking maybe taking my pill at night! Any thoughts? Thanks

[greygoose]

Taking your pill at night, won't help.

Soya acts in two ways. Firstly, it impedes the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland, so that the gland cannot make enough hormone. But that shouldn't affect you if are taking thyroid hormone replacement.

But, secondly, it impedes the uptake of thyroid hormone by the cells. So, it doesn't matter how much T4/3 you have in your blood, it cannot get into your cells, so you remain hypo. It's something that keep increasing the dose won't help, if you eat a lot of unfermented soya. And it is just unfermented soya that is the problem. The fermented is ok.

But, there are lots of other problems with unfermented soya in things like veggies burgers and soy milk. Vegetarians and Vegans consume it for the protein. However, it also contains a substance that stops humans absorbing the protein. So, you are still mal-nourished.

I could go on and on about how bad it is, but I won't in this instantance. I don't believe anybody should be consuming it, but especially not hypos. Sorry.

[Greenwall in reply to greygoose]

Hi Gg, is a small amount of soya ok in eg Vit D3 supplements?

[greygoose in reply to Greenwall]

You mean soy oil? No, it's not good. I always try to avoid supplements that use soy oil, and it's one of the reasons I don't like Holland and Barrett. I wrote to them about it, explaining how bad it was, and they never replied!

[Greenwall in reply to greygoose]

It includes "hydrogenated soya-bean oil".

Umm... so not something that should be taken, unless you are hyper... and then only very short term???

[greygoose in reply to Greenwall]

I wouldn't even take it short term. Or if I were hyper.

[Greenwall in reply to greygoose]

Thanks greygoose. It was prescribed by GP, but I guess I should just bin it then.

[greygoose in reply to Greenwall]

Yes, well, doctors know absolutely nothing about nutrition or supplements. I've had doctors RECOMEND I consume soy for my health!!! It's incredible.

[Greenwall in reply to greygoose]

And they don't like it when you try to educate them, do they?

[greygoose in reply to Greenwall]

They certainly do not! You have to be very subtle. lol

[Nessiam in reply to greygoose]

greygoose hi, I'm a vegan as well and have cut out soy completely because of what I've read in relation to thyroid.. but you're saying fermented soy(like tempeh) is really okay to be having??

[greygoose in reply to Nessiam]

In small quantities, yes. It's the unfermented, like tofu, that are bad.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you had your B12, vitamin D, folate and ferratin levels checked? We are often low in these when taking thyroxine. These all need to be at very good (not just average) levels for thyroid hormones to work in cells.

Vegans obviously often have low B12 too so I assume you check that regularly.

Do you have Hashimoto's? (High thyroid antibodies) If so then a 100% gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms

[JOLLYDOLLY]

Hi Gerib! I am not vegan but take thyroxine in the morning on a empty stomach. I eat a lot of soya stuff and my daughter has introduced us to her vegan regime and recipes, which we enjoy, but I still like my meat too! I have not seen any studies to say it affects the thyroxine, in fact I feel better for having it. The only things I have heard that can change the effectiveness is iron tablets and calcium tablets which I taken four hours after each other. Hope this helps

[greygoose in reply to JOLLYDOLLY]

JOLLYDOLLY, there's plenty of evidence out there about what unfermented soy does to the thyroid and thyroid hormones. And everything else. It really is a very, very bad thing. I cannot stress that enough.

You could start reading here :

wellnessmama.com/3684/is-so...

[JOLLYDOLLY in reply to greygoose]

Hi greygoose,

Thank you the link, I appreciate it. I will have a look shortly. There are so many do's and don'ts you just don't know what to eat or not these days.

When my daughter had childhood asthma - we were advised to avoid dairy, which was hard as that was all she liked at the time!

Best wishes

[greygoose in reply to JOLLYDOLLY]

I think diets, in general, have to be tailored to the individual. But there are certain absolutes. And one of them is that unfermented soy is bad. It's not food. There's all this talk about the paleo diet, and getting back to eating naturally. Paleolithic man didn't eat soy, so why should we? Our bodies don't recognise it as food - maybe because it isn't! lol

People often say well, the Japanese have eaten it for thousands of years! But, that's only partly true. The have consumed fermented soy - fermentation gets rid of all the nasties. And, they just eat it as a condiment, not a main meal. They don't have soy steaks for dinner. We mustn't take things out of context like that, that's twisted marketing, and it's bad for your health!

[Gerib]

Thanks everyone for your useful comments, I will try avoiding soy products from now on, almond milk is the way forward I think!

[MidnightBlue]

Hi, I am vegan too, and I don't eat soya. It is a bit of a pain as I am gluten free too and it can be difficult to get ready made things to replace sausages, burgers etc. I have found the 'Dee's' range ( from Ocado) tasty and soya free, also Georgia's beanburgers (Sainsburys). Ocado also do a lovely parsnip and nut burger that is delicious.