Do you have a good idea about the amount of soy you’re consuming in your diet? If you do not read the food labels of products you eat, you may be getting more soy in your daily diet than you think. Soy is hidden in more products than you would imagine and if you are eating energy bars that contain protein or consuming soy protein drinks you might want to reevaluate your diet. Although there are some claims that suggest a small amount of soy is healthy, researchers are just touching the surface of finding if the dangers are real.
People that promote soy products like soy protein isolate or phytoestrogens which is a product extracted from soy may not tell you that soy products are goitrogenic to people. What exactly does this mean? This means that soy products slow down your thyroid function. Substances that are in the soybean actually decrease the function of the thyroid which leads to goiter and other unwanted changes to the gland. My devastating diseases can be linked to low thyroid function such as heart disease, cancer, fatigue, osteoporosis and a difficult time with menopause.
If you’re having a harder time than usual with menopause or find your self gain weight it might be due to the soy in your diet decreasing the thyroid. You can combat this by avoiding processed foods and adding solid nutrient foods such as animal fats. If you are having issues with weight gain and you are menopausal, it’s possible that you could be experiencing problems with your thyroid.
Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is an enzyme that’s involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Isoflavones can slow down the TPO if you suffer from an iodine deficiency or an excess amount of iodine is in your system. This slowing down of the TPO can cause goitrogens which enlarges the thyroid. The enlarged thyroid increases the amount of the thyroid stimulating hormone and the condition is known as a goiter.
If you are familiar with the author of The Wisdom of Menopause, Christiane Northrup, MD, you may know that she has been helping Oprah with her hypothyroidism. Christiane is Oprah’s consultant and a huge supporter of soy. She also has the condition known as hypothyroidism. If Dr. Northrup advised Oprah to eat more whole foods while eliminating soy and processed foods from her diet she would see a greater success at losing weight.
