Soy and Thyroid function--

July 10, 2003

Subj: FW: This week in the HSI Forum

Date: 7/8/2003 4:14:23 PM Eastern Standard Time

From: <A HREF= " mailto:sandym@... " >sandym@...</A>

<A HREF= " mailto:sandym@... " >sandym@...</A>

Sent from the Internet (Details)

This week in the Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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This week in the HSI Forum

An important warning appears in the HSI Forum this week,

posted in a thread titled " Soy-onara " - which, not

coincidentally, is also the title of Tuesday's e-Alert about

a Japanese study that examined the effects of soy and other

isoflavone-rich foods on breast cancer.

An HSI member who goes by the name of Chefgirl explains that

at the age of 12 she was diagnosed as hypothyroid - a

condition in which the thyroid gland produces inadequate

amounts of two key hormones that help regulate metabolism.

She points out that soy plays havoc for people with thyroid

problems such as hers because the soy isoflavones limit the

cells' ability to receive thyroid hormones.

Chefgirl writes: " In reality, soy protein is one of the worst

things that I could consume, especially on a daily basis. I

can't begin to tell you the difference I felt when I stopped

eating soy products, just within 2-3 days. "

What infuriates her - and rightfully so - is that she

consumed soy products for 10 years, " thinking I was eating

healthy and being told that was the case. "

In particular, I was concerned with one detail in Chefgirl's

posting: her comment that the isoflavones in soy are

responsible for thyroid dysfunction. If soy isoflavones cause

thyroid problems, wouldn't that also be true of other

sources, such as red clover (which we've recommended as an

alternative to soy)?

A little legwork with our research sources soon turned up a

comment on the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center web

site, warning that due to the estrogenic activity of red

clover, it should be used with caution by patients with

hormone-sensitive diseases. And that would include thyroid

conditions, of course.

If you consume a high quantity of soy foods, or if you use

red clover, here are some of the symptoms of hypothyroid

disease that you should be aware of: low energy, slowing of

the healing process, edema (swelling, usually in the feet or

legs), and unusual changes in skin, nails or hair.

This serves as a perfect reminder that herbal supplements are

natural medicines that can have powerful effects and should

be used with care. So if you've been diagnosed with thyroid

problems, you should probably avoid soy, red clover, and

other foods or botanicals touted as high in isoflavones. And

as always, consult your doctor whenever you use any

nutritional or herbal remedy to address a medical condition.

Other topics being discussed on the HSI Forum this week

include:

* If you have any doubt that genetic modification of crops is

a hot button issue, just visit the thread " GM Foods, " which

has more than 80 postings in a very lively debate.

* A thread titled " Mc's to Eliminate Using Beef... " is

a reaction to Wednesday's e-Alert, " McMedicine " (see

below), but Big Macs may not be as antibiotic-free as we

are supposed to believe.

* An HSI member named Lee offers a warning in " Forteo, Unsafe

Drug for Osteoporosis. "

If you have questions or comments you'd like to add to these

or any of the dozens of other threads on the Forum, just log

on to our web site at www.hsibaltimore.com and join in with

the conversations.

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Monday, June 23, 2003

Double Whammy

Patients with type 2 diabetes can reduce the risk of a heart

attack or a stroke by 25 percent by using cholesterol-

lowering statin drugs - even if they don't have elevated

cholesterol levels - according to two recent studies. And

while that may sound promising, you can be certain that there

are gremlins in the details. This e-Alert looks at the

misguided logic of trading a lower risk of one problem, for

the side effects that come with a lifetime supply of multiple

prescription drugs.

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030623.shtml

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

Soy-onara

Does soy intake help prevent breast cancer? In spite of what

you may have heard, there's no easy answer to that question,

which is at the heart of a long, ongoing debate. But a

recently completed 10-year study from Japan reveals some

promising new clues that could eventually lead to useful

answers. We'll tell you about the best source for the

compound that is believed to be the active component in

preventing breast cancer.

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030624.shtml

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

McMedicine

Last week Mc's Corporation told its meat suppliers to

discontinue the use of antibiotics in animals. But let's not

jump to the conclusion that Mc's menu is going to be

anything close to antibiotic-free. The details of this new

policy leave something to be desired, especially in the face

of the ticking time bomb of human antibiotic resistance that

is rapidly developing through the general consumption of

commercial meat products.

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030625.shtml

Thursday, June 26, 2003

P53, Where Are You?

Selenium has been shown to reduce both the risk and mortality

for prostate, liver and colorectal cancers. Now another

cancer can be added to that list: one that's closely

associated with chronic heartburn and acid reflux. We'll

examine the groundbreaking details of this important new

study, and tell you why getting more selenium in your diet

might be one of the best preventive health measures you can

take.

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030626.shtml

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step breathing guide.

http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/SCBB/W680D621/home.cfm

(if you can't open here use the HTML links listed below)

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<A HREF= " http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030623.shtml " >June 23 -

Double Whammy</A> <a

href= " http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030624.shtml " >June 24 -

Soy-onara <a

href= " http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030625.shtml " >June 25 -

McMedicine <a

href= " http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030626.shtml " >June 26 - P53,

Where Are You?

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July 10, 2003

Hi,

>>If soy isoflavones cause

thyroid problems, wouldn't that also be true of other

sources, such as red clover (which we've recommended as an

alternative to soy)?

Does this also apply (or perhaps NOT) to lignan type phytoestrogens

(phytochemicals with weak estrogen-like property) i.e Flaxseeds???