A: Yes, that is exactly the case. In fact, fluoride was once used as a medication to treat hyperthyroidism because it suppresses thyroid function so easily. One supplier of green tea I contacted makes a point to tell its consumers not to drink its tea if they happen to be on Synthroid because the fluoride in the tea will interfere with this medication. As you well know, we seem to be in the midst of a hypothyroidism epidemic. With so much fluoride in the food chain, it is easy to see why. And the current trend toward consuming lots of soy is certainly compounding this problem. Like fluoride, unfermented soy products such as tofu, soy milk, and soy protein inhibit thyroid function. One study on human subjects who consumed just one ounce of unfermented soy per day for three months showed depressed thyroid function, with some of them developing goiters. They all returned to normal after discontinuing the soy.
Q: We are told that the Japanese diet which includes soy is responsible for their longevity? How much soy do they actually eat?
A: Marketers of soy products would like us to believe that Asians have good health because they eat a "soy-based" diet. This simply is not true. In China the daily consumption of soy is about two teaspoons. In Japan it is about two ounces a day. In China they get most of their protein from pork. For the Japanese, it is from fish. In fact, the Japanese eat more eggs than they do soy. They eat more eggs than anyone in the world, followed closely by the Chinese. It is curious that the egg sellers didn't capitalize on this. They could have said, "Be healthy, eat like the Japanese, eat more eggs!"
Soy in Japan is used merely as a side dish or condiment, and the form of soy they consume makes a big difference. They mostly consume fermented soy products like tempeh, miso, and natto. The fermentation process alters soy in such a way that the natural toxins, antinutrients, and goitrogens are neutralized, and the isoflavones are made beneficial-- or at least, less harmful.
Q: Aren't many women today purchasing soy products because of the isoflavones, the phytoestrogens which are supposed to ease menopausal symptoms and even protect the heart?
A: Yes, and I cringe when I shop at my local Trader Joes market and see their carts filled with soy milk and soy protein energy bars. A large 2002 study in England (COT) examining the toxicity of soy found no evidence to support claims that these unfermented products improve hormonal balance or prevent heart disease and osteoporosis, or even alleviate menopausal symptoms. Although soy protein got the heart-healthy stamp of approval from the FDA, presumably because it lowers cholesterol, soy protein can also lower the beneficial HDL cholesterol. This is not a good thing. Soy milk has even been shown to raise levels of a substance called Lp(a) which appears to be a definite risk factor for developing heart disease. As far as the isoflavones in soy are concerned, they seem to act as pro-estrogens and are implicated in the development of breast cancer and other hormonal disturbances. Small amounts of fermented soy, however, seem protective.
Q: You mention that fluoride is also linked to cancer. Is breast cancer one of those cancers with which fluoride is associated?
A: Yes, very definitely. Besides bone cancers and brain cancers, all of the fluoride in the food chain found in many canned foods, sodas, and beer, dental products, and fluoride-based pesticides on produce must surely be considered a culprit in this disease. Fluoride improperly mineralizes many tissues, including bones, joints, and teeth. It also disarms the immune system, and calcifies the pineal gland. This gland is responsible for the production of melatonin, the hormone which regulates sleep cycles. When the pineal gland becomes calcified, the production of melatonin is curtailed. Melatonin appears to protect against breast cancer. According to Dr. John Lee, studies have shown that women with early breast cancer have lower circulating levels of melatonin.
Fluoride may be responsible for increased rates of breast cancer by virtue of another process: Fluoride raises levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). Though useful for a number of metabolic functions, when IGF-1 levels are raised there is an increased risk of cancer. Premenopausal women with the highest levels of IGF-1 in their blood have shown a sevenfold increase in the risk of breast cancer. It is interesting to note that other items in the food chain significantly raise IGF-1 levels. One of them is milk which has been treated with Monsanto's bovine growth hormone, and the other, as you may have guessed, is soy.
