You'll find Dr. Daniel's story below, but first my thoughts:Soy is perceived as a "health food" in the United States, raking in $4 billion a year. Many people consume soy because of the claims that it can reduce the risk of heart disease, alleviate symptoms of menopause, lower cholesterol and even cut the cancer risk.
But in reality, when people consume soy products it can eventually lead to health problems ranging from digestive upset and bloating to hormonal distruption. And among infants, the estrogens in soy formula can be devastating, causing problems in their brains, reporductive systems and thyroid glands.
There are 100 years worth of studies demonstrating that soy products can be hazardous to your health, but soy is nonetheless now everywhere in our food supply, often hidden in the processed foods.
Soy as it is traditionally consumed in Asian diets (mostly fermented soy products; miso, natto, and tempeh) is much less problematic. The fermented forms are safer since the fermentation process creates health-promoting probiotics. Aslo, soy in Asia is consumed only in small amounts, an average of 9 grams per day verses over 20 grams a day in the US.
Have you ever looked at cows who recieved both soy and corn as the primary food source? They gain huge amounts of weight in a very short time. When an experiment was done on cows being feed coconut oil, the farmers were shocked to find that the cows lost weight ... the farmers returned to feeding their cattle soy and corn, both genetically enhanced.
Enjoy the article below
Brendahttp://www.coachbrenda2.blogspot.com/
Health Problems for Oprah--The Link Between Soy and Thyroid Disease
Board certified clinical nutritionist Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD is available for comment about potential thyroid damage from so-called “healthy foods”
Washington, DC 10/03/2007 11:35 AM GMT (FINDITT)
Oprah Winfrey's recent announcement on Good Morning America that she "blew out" her thyroid brings much needed attention to the underreported epidemic of thyroid disease in this country. As Oprah consistently sings the praises of soy to her viewers, it raises the question of whether her frequent consumption of soy milk and other soy products is the cause of her recent diagnosis.
“More than 70 years of studies link soy to thyroid disorders,” says Kaayla Daniel, PhD, CCN, and author of the book, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food. “Oprah has long touted the health benefits of soy, but the myth that soy is a healthy food has had tragic consequences, especially for women in the throes of menopause,” says Daniel. “The phytoestrogens found in soy products are potent inhibitors of thyroid peroxidase, the enzyme the body needs to produce the essential thyroid hormones T3 and T4.”
Dr. Daniel is one of a growing number of leading scientists, physicians and toxicologists from around the world who has raised alarms about consumption of soy products high in phytoestrogens causing significant endocrine disruption and thyroid damage.
“Women in mid-life are already at risk for developing thyroid problems,” Daniel states. “To make matters worse, the soy industry heavily markets soy milk and other soy products to women who are menopausal as an effective and safe method of hormone replacement therapy. The truth is that it is neither effective nor safe.”
Studies by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have concluded that the evidence for soy preventing or alleviating menopausal symptoms is inconsistent and contradictory at best. Still, many women continue to flock to soy products due to popular books heavily marketed by Oprah and other celebrities as an alternative to traditional HRT therapies.
Christiane Northrup, MD, author of the bestseller The Wisdom of Menopause is one of many consultants to the stars. Although Dr. Northrup is a leader in body/mind therapies, her advice to embrace the use of products containing high levels of phytoestrogens has misled many women. According to her newsletter, Northrup has worked with Oprah privately to help her with menopause. "Given her own avowed consumption of these products, it's probably no accident that Dr. Northrup herself has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism,” says Daniel.
The United Kingdom's Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and Environment has identified several populations at special risk for soy-induced thyroid disease – infants on soy formula, vegans who use soy as their principal meat and dairy replacements, and men and women who use isoflavone supplements in an attempt to prevent or protect against cancer and high cholesterol.
“Now that Oprah has joined the ranks of women suffering from thyroid disease, it is my hope she will alert her audience to the very real dangers of excess consumption of soy based products,” Daniel concludes. “The proven risks far outweigh the possible benefits.”
Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, is THE WHOLE NUTRITIONIST®. She earned her PhD in Nutritional Sciences and Anti-Aging Therapies from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, is board certified as a clinical nutritionist (CCN) by the International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists in Dallas and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Weston A. Price Foundation. As a clinical nutritionist, she specializes in digestive disorders, women’s reproductive health issues, infertility, and recovery from vegetarian and soy-based diets.
Dr. Daniel is the author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food (New Trends, March 2005), which has been endorsed by leading health professionals, including Kilmer McCully MD, Doris J. Rapp MD, Jonathan V. Wright, MD, Russell Blaylock, MD, Larrian Gillespie, MD, Joseph Mercola, OD, Debra Lynn Dadd and Larry Dossey, MD, who called it “science writing at its best.”
