Veg*n Soy & Excess Estrogen

[MyZoo2]

I have a question for the veggies, on this forum that are in menopause. Has your physician ever been concerned regarding the amount of soy that you have in your diet? Have you experienced any ill effects from a diet high in soy?

I ask this becuase my mother is eatting primarily veg, and her diet is high in soy. A short while after she started consuming a large amount of soy, her hair begain to fall out. She has since reduced the soy in her diet, and the problem is resolving.

 

[JD In Van]

I have a friend who had a similiar problem (though pre menopause). She ate far too much edemame (sp?) and was consuming soy based products with nearly every meal and it sent her into a hormone imbalance (hair loss, bad skin, mood swings it was horrid). Apparently she had 2 or 3 times the amount of estrogen she should have had when they did her blood panel. She reduced her soy intake and the problem corrected itself after about a month.

Hair loss is a semi common symptom of estrogen imbalance in pregnancy and menopause (I lost a lot of hair during pregnancy) with or without the involvement of soy but it can also indicate a deficit in some other vits and immune system deficiency so she should get a blood workup done any how if she can.

 

[MyZoo2]

The interesting part is, my mom's physician never even gave her a diet a consideration. They kept testing her thyroid levels! Now, I work in the medical field (I'm a med tech) so I had ask for some specific testing. The physician still wouldn't listen despite the lab results. So I helped her get everything squared away, and we added a B complex which is awesome for vitamin for the body in general.

My concern is, how do veg's make sure they are not getting too much soy protein their diet so that they do not experience this problem? She now needs a substitute for the soy products she was consuming.

 

[JD In Van]

Sounds like your mom needs a new doctor.

If she isn't allergic to nuts and rice there's a lot of alternatives that are almond and rice based (I <3 Almond milk) but it depends what the product is. I highly recommend visiting a dietician.

 

[MyZoo2]

I totally agree that she could use a new physician, but since I do not live close she will most likely not search one out. She is getting confident enough now to ask for different things though. Eventually she will get fed up with having to go through this process, and will look around. She lives near a large university so she has so many different types of physicians available, but I don't know if her insurance will cover it or not. That is a tough one, as my mom has had some financial issues this year.

I will suggest the nut & rice products to her, because she has no food allergies. I think she could figure out how to work them into her diet as she sees fit. I know that she mostly likes a cows milk alternative, so this should work for her. Thanks for your help.