How Many People Are Uninsured? 50-Million? 47-Million? 37-Million?

Who Are the Uninsured?

(CATO)

No single topic drives the health care reform debate like the number of uninsured Americans, variously numbered in speeches and ads at 45 million, 46 million, 47 million, or even 50 million. Unfortunately, most of what we think we know about the un insured is wrong.

For the record, according to the latest figures from the Census Bureau, 45.6 million Americans currently lack health insurance. This is actually down slightly from the 47 million that were uninsured in 2006. However, those numbers don't tell the whole story.

For example, roughly one quarter of those counted as uninsured — 12 million people — are eligible for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), but haven't enrolled. This includes 64 percent of all uninsured children, and 29 percent of parents with children. Since these people would be enrolled in those programs automatically if they went to the hospital for care, calling them uninsured is really a smokescreen.

Another 10 million uninsured "Americans" are, at least technically, not Americans. Approximately 5.6 million are illegal immigrants, and another 4.4 million are legal immigrants but not citizens.

The reality is that most people without health insurance are uninsured for a relatively short period of time.

Nor are the uninsured necessarily poor. A new study by June O'Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, found that 43 percent of the uninsured have incomes higher than 250 percent of the poverty level ($55,125 for a family of four). And slightly more than a third have incomes in excess of $66,000. A second study, by Mark Pauly of the University of Pennsylvania and Kate Bundorf of Stanford, concluded that nearly three-quarters of the uninsured could afford coverage but chose not to purchase it.

And most of the uninsured are young and in good health. According to the CBO, roughly 60 percent are under the age of 35, and fully 86 percent report that they are in good or excellent health.

Finally, when we hear about 45 million Americans without health insurance, it conjures up the notion that all of those are born without health insurance, die without health insurance, and are never insured in between. The reality is that most people without health insurance are uninsured for a relatively short period of time.

Only about 30 percent of the uninsured remain so for more than a year, approximately 16 percent for two years, and less than 2.5 percent for three years or longer. About half are uninsured for six months or less. Notably, because health insurance is too often tied to employment, the working poor who cycle in and out of the job market also cycle in and out of health insurance....

Are There Really 47 Million Americans Who Can’t Afford Health Insurance?

 (ROCKWELL)

An editorial in the July-August 2009 AARP Bulletin repeats the same bromide heard almost nightly on the MSM news: That there are currently 47 million Americans without health insurance. The AARP editorial goes on to argue that this situation is disgraceful; that all Americans should have "affordable health care choices"; and that in terms of reform, "the time to act is now."

The sad tale of the 47 million uninsured is, perhaps, the most emotionally persuasive argument put forth for national health care reform. But is the alleged number of uninsured reasonably accurate? Or is it, instead, a purposely misleading statistic designed to advance a specific reform agenda?

The 47 million uninsured number is generated by an annual U.S. Census Bureau report. However, that report also states that the 47 million uninsured includes roughly 10 million illegal aliens without health insurance. Thus, if we subtract out the illegals, the number of uninsured American citizens without health insurance declines by more than 20%...to roughly 37 million.

But is it accurate to assume that even 37 million Americans cannot afford health insurance? Absolutely NOT. Even Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign once admitted that 25% of the uninsured could afford health insurance but chose not to purchase it. The Census Bureau reports that there are roughly 17 million people who make more than $50,000 per year and who, for whatever reason, decide not to carry health insurance.

In short, with two reasonable adjustments, the number of Americans who cannot afford health insurance has been reduced from 47 million to approximately 20 million.

But is the 20 million figure itself reasonably accurate? Probably not. Individuals moving between jobs lose their (employer provided) health insurance and when they do the Census Bureau counts them as "uninsured." Technically true. Yet during normal times, roughly half of these individuals will have re-acquired (in about 4 months) health insurance coverage with a new employer.

Finally, there are millions of adult Americans and children who have (nearly free) access to medical care benefits through Medicaid and other government programs who don't really need the direct cost of "insurance" and who don’t carry any.

Thus, with reasonable adjustments, there are in fact less than 10 million individuals who are so-called "chronically uninsured." (The Kaiser Family Foundation says the number could be as low as 8 million). These are individuals who have been unemployed for over 2 years and/or people from households that are too poor to afford non-employer health insurance premiums and who, for whatever reason, have limited access to taxpayer-supported health services.

So let’s grant that there are between 8 to 10 million Americans (total population: 307 million) who cannot afford health insurance and that this situation may require a marginal public policy adjustment. (Most states mandate expensive benefit coverage; curtailing those mandates would lower the cost of health insurance.) But whether that situation requires some massive, Washington D.C. health care reform – with new regulations and mandates on health care providers, insurance companies, and drug manufacturers – is entirely problematic.

Politicians and interest groups, eager to remake your medical world over to their liking, would do well to respect the Hippocratic oath administered to physicians: “First, do no harm.”

 

Excerpted from a small debate I was in elsewhere on the web:

...the stat you quoted (Obama and others) are 46-million uninsured. This number has been debunked by a few sources. Census date and other studies. 18.3 million of this number, for instance, are under 34 and voluntarily opt out of health care because they believe themselves to be young and healthy. BlueCross did a study that show in actuality only 8.2 million people are actually uninsured that want insurance but cannot pay for it. A number that Republican plans deal with by-the-by. But when you have no Republicans voting for a bill like this and 34 Democrats voting against it with Republicans, there is a unanimity (bipartisanship), just not the way Democrats wished to highlite. These numbers remind me of the stats used by Clinton and then later Kerry that said a woman makes 70-cents and 73-cents (respectively) to every man's dollar, or Michael Moore stating that 44-million Americans are illiterate -- Respectively:

• http://religiopoliticaltalk.blogspot.com/2006/11/political-myths-and-misquotes-okay-few.html
• http://religiopoliticaltalk.blogspot.com/2010/03/same-old-lies-michael-moore-never.html

A Bill You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

HotAir has a way of catching crazy Democrats better than most:

Last week, I wrote that Nancy Pelosi’s insistence that the ObamaCare bill is really a jobs bill was the weirdest moment of the health-care summit, but Duane Patterson disagreed -- and he’s right. With the Democrats already suffering from anecdotitis while Republicans talked policy and finances, Rep. Louise Slaughter offered the strangest one of all. She tells a tale of a woman who couldn’t afford her own dentures, and so had to use a second-hand set from her deceased sister. See if you can guess what’s wrong with the Tale of the Teeth:

 

Answer: ObamaCare won’t cover dentures. It doesn’t include dental coverage. It’s a complete non-sequitur. It’s even more silly than griping about an attempt to file an insurance claim under a policy that hadn’t been purchased.

Hospital Deaths in Cuba Due to Cold... Michael Moore Cries...

(HotAir import)

Cuban cold snap kills 26 patients in mental hospital

Like my friend Bruce McQuain at QandO, I’m wondering whether Michael Moore will add this to a later edition of the Sicko DVD.  Twenty-six patients in a Cuban mental hospital died from hypothermia during an unusually cold winter in Havana:

Twenty-six patients at Cuba’s largest hospital for the mentally ill died this week during a cold snap, the government said Friday.

Human rights leaders cited negligence and a lack of resources as factors in the deaths, and the Health Ministry launched an investigation that it said could lead to criminal proceedings.

A Health Ministry communique read on state television blamed “prolonged low temperatures that fell to 38 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) in Boyeros,” the neighborhood where Havana’s Psychiatric Hospital is located.

It said most of the deaths were from natural causes such as old age, respiratory infections and complications from chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular problems.

The statement came in response to reports from the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights that at least 24 mental patients died of hypothermia this week, and that the hospital did not do enough to protect them from the cold because of problems such as faulty windows.

My goodness, it’s a good thing that Michael Moore decided to lecture Americans on the superiority of the Cuban health-care system in his feature-length diatribe, isn’t it?  Otherwise, we wouldn’t be demanding a government takeover of our own health-care system to achieve parity with Fidel’s paradise.

I live in Minnesota, where it gets considerably colder than Havana for about six months out of the year.  Our hospitals manage to keep patients warm, clean, and safe.  When was the last time anyone heard of patients dying in an American hospital of hypothermia caused by their stay in the facility?  According to my recollection, that would be, uh … never. Where were the staff at this Cuban paragon of medical care?  When it got cold, no one apparently thought to close windows, or give out more sheets and blankets, or bring in more heaters … for hours....

...[read more]...

Bush Gets Blames for Vaccine Shortage, Obama Doesn't (Plus: Old 60 Minutes on 1976 Swine Flu Scare)

(PowerLine) The government has failed dramatically in its effort to make the swine flu vaccine widely available. We're quickly approaching the time by which this was supposed to have been accomplished, but the government is nowhere close to having accomplished it. In July the Obama administration said that 80 to 120 million doses could be ready by mid-October. But now, in late October, only about 16.5 millions doses have become available.

When a similar faiure occurred in 2004, the Democrats blamed President Bush. But I don't blame President Obama. I blame the fact that the federal government isn't very good at delivering most services in a timely manner. The stated reasons vary from case to case, but the result is generally the same.

++++++++++++++++++++++++
=======================

(Washington Post - October 17, 2004) Sen. John F. Kerry jumped on the flu-vaccine shortage yesterday with a new television ad blaming the situation on President Bush. In what may be the first presidential campaign commercial dealing with the flu, the Democratic nominee is trying to portray the vaccine squeeze as typical of the president's mishandling of health care.

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said that Kerry had opposed a legislative remedy and that his "incredible hypocrisy just demonstrates again his willingness to say whatever will benefit him politically."

Swine Flu 1976 & Propaganda
by Dianequiose-4

Obama's Daughter Not Inocolated Against H1N1 (Swine Flu)

UPDATE -- The girls are inoculated (10-27-09)

(Gateway Pundit h/t-import)

Some of the 1,200 people who braved rain and 39 degree (3 degrees Celcius) temperatures queue to receive a free H1N1 flu vaccine at Richard J. Daley College in Chicago October 24, 2009. (Reuters)

Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency today. Over 1,000 people have died from the swine flu in the US this year.
The AP reported:

President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.

The declaration, signed Friday night and announced Saturday, comes with the disease more prevalent than ever in the country and production delays undercutting the government’s initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses of the vaccine could be available by mid-October.

Health authorities say more than 1,000 people in the United States, including almost 100 children, have died from the strain of flu known as H1N1, and 46 states have widespread flu activity. So far only 11 million doses have gone out to health departments, doctor’s offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.

But, despite the national emergency, Barack and Michelle have decided not to inoculate their two girls against the H1N1 virus.

CDC Quiet On Swine Flu Stats -- Not As Bad As thought

After repeated attempts made by CBS News asking the CDC to provide state-by-state data of swine flu testing before they halted individual testing and tracking, Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC Director was asked directly at a recent news conference.

Whole Foods On the Side of Sanity!

What I find funny is that these tie-died Libs shop at a non-union store and they often wonder why the employees are happier and more friendly/helpful that their [union] counterparts. Start shopping at Ralph’s or Vons and you will soon be back!

Health Care Stirs Up Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Customers Boycott Organic Grocery Store Branding Experts Say CEOs Should Stay Quiet When It Comes to Politics By EMILY FRIEDMAN Aug. 14, 2009

Joshua has been taking the bus to his local Whole Foods in New York City every five days for the past two years. This week, he said he'll go elsewhere to fulfill his fresh vegetable and organic produce needs.

"I will never shop there again," vowed Joshua, a 45-year-old blogger, who asked that his last name not be published.

Like many of his fellow health food fanatics, Joshua said he will no longer patronize the store after learning about Whole Foods Market Inc.'s CEO John Mackey's views on health care reform, which were made public this week in an op-ed piece he wrote for The Wall Street Journal.

Michael Lent, another Whole Foods enthusiast in Long Beach, Calif., told ABCNews.com that he, too, will turn to other organic groceries for his weekly shopping list.

"I'm boycotting [Whole Foods] because all Americans need health care," said Lent, 33, who used to visit his local Whole Foods "several times a week."

"While Mackey is worried about health care and stimulus spending, he doesn't seem too worried about expensive wars and tax breaks for the wealthy and big businesses such as his own that contribute to the deficit," said Lent.

In his op-ed, "The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare," published Tuesday, Mackey criticized President Barack Obama's health care plan.

Mackey provided eight "reforms" he argued the U.S. can do to improve health care
without increasing the deficit. He suggested that tax forms be revised to "make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance."

Mackey also called for a move toward "less government control and more individual empowerment" instead of "a massive new health care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits."

He added that many of the country's health care problems are "self-inflicted" and are preventable through "proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices."

In the op-ed, Mackey outlines Whole Foods' employee health insurance policy. According to Mackey, Whole Foods pays 100 percent of the premiums for all employees who work 30 hours or more per week -- about 89 percent of his workforce.

Additionally, the company gives each employee $1,800 per year in "health-care dollars," says Mackey, that they can use at their own discretion for health and wellness expenses. This money can be put toward the $2,500 annual deductible that must be covered before Mackey says the company's "insurance plan kicks in."

Whole Foods Shoppers Weigh In

The op-ed piece, which begins with a Margaret Thatcher quote, "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money," has left some Whole Foods loyalists enraged. Many say Mackey was out of line to opine against the liberal base that has made his fortune possible.

Christine Taylor, a 34-year-old New Jersey shopper, vowed never to step foot in another Whole Foods again.

"I will no longer be shopping at Whole Foods," Taylor told ABCNews.com. "I think a CEO should take care that if he speaks about politics, that his beliefs reflect at least the majority of his clients."

Countless Whole Foods shoppers have taken their gripes with Mackey's op-ed to the Internet, where people on the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook are calling for a boycott of the store.

A commenter on the Whole Foods forum, identified only by his handle, "PracticePreach," wrote, "It is an absolute slap in the face to the millions of progressive-minded consumers that have made [Whole Foods] what it is today."

"You should know who butters your hearth-baked bread, John," wrote the commenter. "Last time I checked it wasn't the insurance industry conservatives who made you a millionaire a hundred times over.".....

Hormonal Imbalance, Thyroid Issues, and Asian Soy Intake History

(Imported Post)

(graph linked to study) Environmental Health Perspectives Supplements Volume 110, Number 3, June 2002 // Goitrogenic and Estrogenic Activity of Soy Isoflavones // Dr. Daniel R. Doerge and Dr. Daniel M. Sheehan // Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, Arkansas.

Abstract -- Soy is known to produce estrogenic isoflavones. Here, we briefly review the evidence for binding of isoflavones to the estrogen receptor, in vivo estrogenicity and developmental toxicity, and estrogen developmental carcinogenesis in rats. Genistein, the major soy isoflavone, also has a frank estrogenic effect in women. We then focus on evidence from animal and human studies suggesting a link between soy consumption and goiter, an activity independent of estrogenicity. Iodine deficiency greatly increases soy antithyroid effects, whereas iodine supplementation is protective. Thus, soy effects on the thyroid involve the critical relationship between iodine status and thyroid function. In rats consuming genistein-fortified diets, genistein was measured in the thyroid at levels that produced dose-dependent and significant inactivation of rat and human thyroid peroxidase (TPO) in vitro. Furthermore, rat TPO activity was dose-dependently reduced by up to 80%. Although these effects are clear and reproducible, other measures of thyroid function in vivo (serum levels of triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone ; thyroid weight ; and thyroid histopathology) were all normal. Additional factors appear necessary for soy to cause overt thyroid toxicity. These clearly include iodine deficiency but may also include additional soy components, other defects of hormone synthesis, or additional goitrogenic dietary factors. Although safety testing of natural products, including soy products, is not required, the possibility that widely consumed soy products may cause harm in the human population via either or both estrogenic and goitrogenic activities is of concern. Rigorous, high-quality experimental and human research into soy toxicity is the best way to address these concerns. Similar studies in wildlife populations are also appropriate.

The below is taken from Health & Learning Info, A 2 Z of Health, Beuaty, and Fitness -- an online magazine:

What Does the Thyroid Do? "The thyroid’s main job is to produce thyroid hormone. Hormones are chemicals that are secreted by glands which act like messengers telling specific body parts what to do. Thyroid hormones help the body make energy, keep body temperature regulated and assist other organs in their function. The thyroid produces two major hormones: triiodothyronine and thyroxine, commonly referred to as T3 and T4. (The “3” and the “4” relate directly to the amount of iodine molecules which are used to create these hormones.)" .... "Soy contains goitrogens, plant chemicals that inhibit thyroid function. And 99% percent of the soy we consume is genetically modified, otherwise known as GMO. Soy has one of the highest percentages of contamination by pesticides of any of our foods. Soy is rich in phytic acid, a chemical that blocks the uptake of essential minerals. Soy has the highest phytate levels of all the grains and legumes. The phytates have been found to be resistant even to long slow cooking in an effort to denature them. There exist hundreds of research articles on phytic acid and their effects, including binding with certain nutrients like iron to inhibit their absorption."

CNN.com: Health, Diet & Fitness

White, for one, worries that soy may speed the aging of brain cells. He recently found evidence that the brains of elderly people who ate tofu at least twice a week for 30 years were aging faster than normal. Tests designed to assess memory and analytical ability showed that their brains functioned as if they were four years older than their actual age, White says of his study published in the April 2000 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Another fear is that the estrogen-like substances in soy may dampen the function of the thyroid. Consuming 40 milligrams of isoflavones a day can slow the production of thyroid hormone, says Dr. Larrian Gillespie, author of "The Menopause Diet" and "The Goddess Diet." (One tablespoon of soy powder contains about 25 milligrams of isoflavones, while most isoflavone supplements come in 40-milligram pills.)

According to Gillespie, within a few weeks of regularly consuming 40 milligrams of isoflavones, some women feel fatigued, constipated and achy all over. Some also gain weight and have heavier menstrual periods. Menopausal women are at particular risk, since they're already prone to hypothyroidism. "Women think it's because of hormones and don't realize they're symptoms of hypothyroidism," Gillespie says. "Once they stop the soy, they say, 'I'm feeling fine again.' " ...

....Messina, for instance, recommends a daily serving of soy: perhaps 1 cup of soy milk or 3 to 4 ounces of tofu.

So, how much soy did Asians eat?

Not much, even though we, as a society have been led by expert mass marketing to think otherwise. Soy has never, ever been a food staple in Asian history. The exception was that the poor often used the soybean to fill their empty bellies during times of famine. Even then, the soybeans were prepared in such a way as to neutralize the natural and inherent soy toxins thus proving that even ancient Asians understood the soybean better than we do today.

To consume a serving of tofu and a couple of glasses of soy milk has become commonplace for many Americans. Soy is also touted as the original protein source for those perusing a vegetarian lifestyle.

This is absolutely in excess of the amount of soy that Asians consume. In native Asia, from where so much of this "research" is purported to have originated, a tablespoon or two of soy is simply used as a condiment. According to K. C. Chang, the editor of Food in Chinese Culture, the total caloric intake of soy in the Chinese diet during the 1930's was only 1.5 percent as compared to 65 percent for pork products.

The huge concern about consuming large amounts of soy products lies in the mega dosing of isoflavones. If consumers follow the nutritional advice of Protein Technologies International (manufacturers of soy-isolated protein) their daily genistein intake (an isoflavin found in soy) could exceed 200 milligrams per day. It goes without saying this level of genistein intake should be avoided.

Up until only two decades ago, soy was considered unfit to eat. By Asians, mind you! To see the hold soy products have on the USA marketplace is truly a miracle. Agricultural literature clearly depicts the soybean and its first and foremost use as a crop rotation plant used to fix nitrogen in the soil. Soybeans did not serve as any form of food until the advent of the Chow Dynasty. During this period, fermentation techniques brought us some of the soy edibles we see today, such as tempeh, soy sauce and natto. In the second century B.C., the Chinese discovered a porridge of cooked soybeans could be precipitated with calcium sulphate or magnesium sulphate (Plaster of Paris or Epsom salts) to make tofu. Sound healthy?

The Chinese did not eat unfermented soybeans as they did other legumes because the soybean contains large amounts of antinutrients (toxins). First among them is hemagglutinin, a clot promoting substance that makes red blood cells clump together. Soy is rich in enzyme inhibitors that block the action of much needed enzymes required to digest proteins. These inhibitors are not deactivated during cooking. They can cause gastric distress and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. Protein inhibitors and hemagglutinin are scientifically proven to inhibit growth, as evidenced in studies of weanling rats that eventually failed to thrive.

Soy contains goitrogens, plant chemicals that inhibit thyroid function. And 99% percent of the soy we consume is genetically modified, otherwise known as GMO. Soy has one of the highest percentages of contamination by pesticides of any of our foods. Soy is rich in phytic acid, a chemical that blocks the uptake of essential minerals. Soy has the highest phytate levels of all the grains and legumes. The phytates have been found to be resistant even to long slow cooking in an effort to denature them. There exist hundreds of research articles on phytic acid and their effects, including binding with certain nutrients like iron to inhibit their absorption.

The marketing push for more soy products has been relentless and global. Public relations firms help convert research projects into newspaper articles and advertising copy. It has worked like a charm. Soy protein is now found in a majority of supermarket breads. Soy can be found blended in the regular old corn tortilla. Try to find a salad dressing in a health food store whose first ingredient is not soy oil. Advertising for a new soy enriched loaf from Allied Bakeries in Britain targets menopausal women seeking relief from hot flashes. It goes on and on.

For more information on the great soy misinformation please consult the well-written and respected book entitled The Whole Soy Story by Dr. Kaayla Daniel.

About The Author:

Dr. Linda Posh MS SLP ND brings a fresh perspective to natural health and nutrition. She packs a solid educational background with degrees in organic chemistry, psychology and a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Visit www.Nutra-Resources.com for information.

Soy Causes Thyroid Problems (among other things)

(Imported Article) Soy is not the best thing for people. Not a lot of people know this, but just 5-8 ounces of soy milk is too much soy isoflavons in ones diet (30grams). The USDA site lists the isoflavone content of a total of 128 foods, including foods such as vegetarian hot dogs soybeans, chickpeas and tofu. This can help you in deciding how much soy to include in your diet. So vegetarians, count your "soy intake," rather than your calorie intake. The following link is to my "Drinking Hole" site where this article from Thyroid-info.com comes from, enjoy

(click picture for another article)

Do Soy Foods Negatively Affect Your Thyroid? A Look at the Downsides of Soy

by Mary Shomon

It seems that there's isn't a newspaper, magazine or news program that hasn't recently featured a story on the amazing health benefits of soy food products and soy/isoflavone supplements. Soy is promoted as a healthy alternative to estrogen replacement for some women, as a possibly way to reduce the risk of breast cancer, as a way to minimize menopause symptoms, and as a healthier, low-fat protein alternative for meats and poultry. But what all the positive stories fail to mention is that there is a very real -- but very overlooked -- downside to the heavy or long-term use of soy products.

Soy products increase the risk of thyroid disease. And this danger is particularly great for infants on soy formula.

This is not information that the powerful and profitable U.S. soy industry wants you to know. The sale of soy products is big business, and the increasing demand for soy protein products, soy powders and soy isoflavone supplements is making that an even more profitable business than ever before.

In researching my book, Living Well With Hypothyroidism, which covers the issue of soy products and the thyroid in great depth, I talked to Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick, an environmental scientist and phytoestrogen researcher who has conducted in-depth studies on soy, particularly the use of soy formulas. Dr. Fitzpatrick makes it clear that soy products can have a detrminental affect on both adults and infants. In particular, he firmly believe that soy formula manufacturers should remove the isoflavones -- that part of the soy products that act as anti-thyroid agents -- from their products.

Researchers have identified that the isoflavones act as potent anti-thyroid agents, and are capable of suppressing thyroid function, and causing or worsening hypothyroidism. Soy is a phytoestrogen, and therefore acts in the body much like a hormone, so it's no surprise that it interacts with the delicate balance of the thyroid's hormonal systems. High consumption of soy products are also proven to cause goiter, (Anti-thyroid isoflavones from soybean: isolation, characterization, and mechanisms of action, Divi RL; Chang HC; Doerge DR, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA, Biochem Pharmacol, 1997 Nov, 54:10, 1087-96)

Note: The best source of information on soy and its negative impact on health can be found at the Soy Online Service, and in particular, its page on phytoestrogenic effects of soy, and impact on the thyroid.

Isoflavones belong to the flavonoid or bioflavonoid family of chemicals, and are considered endocrine disruptors -- plants or other products that act as hormones, disrupting the endocrine system, and in some cases, this disruption involves acting as an anti-thyroid agent. (The grain millet, for example, contains high levels of flavonoids, and is commonly known as problematic for thyroid function). Flavonoids inhibit thyroid peroxidase (TPO), which disturbs proper thyroid function.

The March 1999 issue of Natural Health magazine has a feature on soy that quotes Daniel R. Doerge, Ph.D., a researcher at the Food and Drug Aministration's National Center for Toxicological Research. Dr. Doerge has researched soy's anti-thyroid properties, and has said "...I see substantial risks from taking soy supplements or eating huge amounts of soyfoods for their putative disease preventive value. There is definitely potential for interaction with the thyroid."

One UK study of premenopausal women gave 60 grams of soy protein per day for one month. This was found to disrupt the menstrual cycle, with the effects of the isoflavones continuing for a full three months after stopping the soy in the diet. Isoflavones are also known to modify fertility and change sex hormone status. Isoflavones have been shown to have serious health effects -- including infertility, thyroid disease or liver disease -- on a number of mammals.

Dr. Fitzpatrick believes that people with hypothyroidism should avoid soy products, because, "any inhibition of TPO will clearly work against anyone trying to correct an hypothyroid state." In addition, he believes that the current promotion of soy as a health food will result in an increase in thyroid disorders.

The Dangers of Soy Formulas

Since the late 1950's, it has been known that soy formulas contain anti-thyroid agents. Infants on
soy formula are particularly vulnerable to developing autoimmune thyroid disease when exposed to high exposure of isoflavones over time. ( Breast and soy-formula feedings in early infancy and the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease in children. Fort P; Moses N; Fasano M; Goldberg T; Lifshitz F Department of Pediatrics, North Shore University Hospital-Cornell University Medical College, Manhasset, New York 11030. J Am Coll Nutr, 1990 Apr, 9:2, 164-7) This study found that the frequency of feedings with soy-based milk formulas in early life was noticeably higher in children with autoimmune thyroid disease, and thyroid problems were almost triple in those soy formula-fed children compared to their siblings and healthy unrelated children. Dr. Fitzpatrick even believes that long-term feeding with soy formulas inhibits TPO to such an extent that long-term elevated TSH levels can also raise the risk of thyroid cancer.

Not much is being done in the U.S. to make parents aware of the thyroid-related dangers of soy formulas, or to alert the public that heavy soy consumption may be a danger to thyroid function. Other countries, however, are far ahead of the U.S. In July of 1996, the British Department of Health issued a warning that the phytoestrogens found in soy-based infant formulas could adversely affect infant health. The warning was clear, indicating that soy formula should only be given to babies on the advice of a health professional. They advised that babies who cannot be breastfed or who have allergies to other formulas be given alternatives to soy-based formulas.

Why more information is not available about these concerns is probably a function of the tremendous strength of the large agricultural companies that dominate America's soy market. One thing is clear, however. At the same time that health experts, and nearly every radio and television health program in the nation touts soy as the miracle health food of the new millenium, the United States pediatric and medical community needs to get more on top of this issue, and begin to counsel their patients regarding the serious impact use of soy products can have on thyroid function.

How Much Soy is Safe?

According to the Soy Online Service, for infants, any soy is too much. For adults, just 30 mg of soy isoflavones per day is the amount found to have a negative impact on thyroid function. This amount of soy isoflavones is found in just 5-8 ounces of soy milk, or 1.5 ounces of miso. For more information on how much soy is too much, see the Soy Online Service guidance page.


The USDA has launched a website that is promoting the health benefits of use of soy and soy foods. The USDA site lists the isoflavone content of a total of 128 foods, including foods such as vegetarian hot dogs soybeans, chickpeas and tofu. This can help you in deciding how much soy to include in your diet.

More information

For more information on soy products, see:

• Soy Online Service
• Concerns Regarding Soybeans, from the Rheumatic Diseases website