soy products

[PassionFruit-xxx]

Hi, I’m just wondering if eating 1 alpro Greek style yogurt 150g pot a day, which is a fermented soy product would be harming me, I’ve read that in moderation it would be ok & then I’ve read somewhere else that I shouldn’t be eating anything containing soy as it also contains iodine, does anyone have any advice on this subject.

I have to say I look forward to it everyday but I’m not sure if this is classed as moderation or i am taking in to much iodine.

Any advice would be greatly received.

[Hashiboy]

Hi  PassionFruit-xxx others will disagree strongly with me but I think a small amount well away from your meds is probably no worse than the hundred and one other things that impact thyroid function. The main concern comes from a study in the early 2000s that found that consumption of soya products was associated with a higher TSH when compared to non soya consumers. The finding applies to women who were not hypothyroid and wasn’t found to occur in males. A more recent systematic review of 18 research papers concluded that overall there’s not much evidence soya products have much effect on thyroid hormones other than a very mild elevation of TSH and no obvious impact on symptoms. It comes down to personal choice for me, some people may choose to avoid to be extra careful others might see the effect as negligible compared other factors that affect medication absorption and thyroid function and don’t prioritise eliminating soya. I tends to eat Tofu or tempeh or soya sauce a couple of days a week but tend to eat it a good few hours away from medications.

Here’s the review paper ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[PassionFruit-xxx in reply to Hashiboy]

Hasiboy, thank you for that, I take my Levo at 5 am every single morning so as no other vits/mins/food/drink effect absorption, at least I know by lunch time the soya yogurt won’t hinder the Levo, I will read that review, thank you.

[greygoose]

Pretty certain soy does not contain iodine. It contains a lot of other nasty stuff, but not iodine.

And it doesn't affect your thyroid or your levo. The thing with soy is that it impedes the uptake of thyroid hormones at a cellular level, so you can have good hormone levels in your blood, but it won't be getting into the cells. Quite how much you need to consume to have this effect is anybody's guess. And it's probably highly individual, like everything else thyroid related. You know your own body, be guided by it.

[PassionFruit-xxx in reply to greygoose]

Thank you greygoose, much appreciated, I think I will continue with my guilty pleasure then & not worry to much, & yes as always listen to what my body is saying…. although it always wants more than 1 pot of that yogurt 😂

[greygoose in reply to PassionFruit-xxx]

Well, each to his own, as they say.

[Wua13262348 in reply to PassionFruit-xxx]

Often it is the food that I am intolerant to that I am addicted to and want more of, in my personal experience!

[PassionFruit-xxx in reply to Wua13262348]

Yes you are probably right, that’s how it usually goes for me too 😂

[Jingley]

If you're avoiding dairy have you tried the Coconut Collab range? Some of them are really good. If you need a chocolate fix I highly recommend their choc pots - tiny but oh so yummy.

[PassionFruit-xxx in reply to Jingley]

Thank you jingley, I will have a try of these, I’m not avoiding dairy, although I don’t eat a great deal of it, I tried the Alpro Greek style yogurt & found that it doesn’t have that sour yogurty taste, it’s more creamy but unfortunately it’s made from soy, I will try the coconut collab range just to see if it’s creamy rather than sour, then hopefully make the switch & enjoy without the soy 😂

[bagpuss61]

Whenever I eat just a small amount of Soy, it messes up my T3 meds.

[PassionFruit-xxx in reply to bagpuss61]

Thank you bagpuss61, I’m not on T3…yet but will bare that in mind for the future.☺️

[thyr01d in reply to bagpuss61]

that's really interesting bagpuss, please could you tell me how you know and what happens to you? I am vegan and soy milk is the easiest way to take in enough protein. When I give it up I don't feel better nor worse when I reintroduce, but wondered if the effect is slow and therefore not noticeable.

[bagpuss61 in reply to thyr01d]

I think we have to remember we are all on our own journey, and what affects one might not affect another.

But for me, I start to notice by the evening after eating Soya during the day that hypo symptoms start to kick in and eventually I can't sleep. I get low body temp and my mood changes. Once I take an extra dose T3, I start to feel better. This I have experimented many times over the years and its always the same pattern.

I am also vegan and get all the protein I need from eating fruit and vegetables.