Soy chips are often marketed as being a healthy alternative to potato chips and other savory and sweet snacks. They are made from soybeans, soy and rice flour, sunflower oil and sea salt, and have fewer calories than regular potato chips as they are baked, not fried. Soy chips are also said to increase energy levels. Although soy chips have some health benefits, an excessive amount may be detrimental to your health, leading to or worsening the thyroid disorder hypothyroidism.
Soy Chips
Soy chips come in a variety of flavors, from sweet to savory. They are low-fat, high-protein and made with whole grains to promote heart and cardiovascular health. Soy chips are baked; they have fewer calories than most regular fried potato chip snacks. In fact, the American soy company Genisoy suggests that soy chips actually increase your mental and physical energy levels. Genisoy also claims soy chips are superior in nutritional value to potato chips.
Soy Isoflavones
Soy chips contain a naturally occurring substance, called genistein, also known as soy isoflavone. This may be useful if you are a woman who has been through menopause and has experienced the loss of bone density, making you susceptible to osteoporosis and bone fractures. According to Genisoy, a two-year study carried out by Italian researchers established that soy foods help to increase bone density because of the ingredient genistein. Postmenopausal women taking part in the study gained bone density after taking genistein for two years, while the women in the placebo group were noted as having a reduction in bone mass.
Nutritional Facts
An 18 g serving of a particular brand of low-fat lightly salted soy chips contains 70 calories with 1 g total fat, 170 mg sodium, 5 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar and 2 g dietary fiber. Soy chips also contain 4 percent calcium and 8 percent iron.
Considerations
The isoflavones contained in soy-based foods have been linked to hypothyroidism, as they are anti-thyroid agents that suppress thyroid function. Foods containing an excessive amount of isoflavones can increase your risk of hypothyroidism, or exacerbate symptoms of an existing disorder. An increase in estrogen levels, hormonal fluctuations and goiters can also develop as a consequence of the goitrogens in soy interfering with thyroid function and hampering your thyroid's ability to make use iodine. Those individuals who are already deficient in iodine levels with poor nutritional health run higher risks of developing hypothyroidism, although researchers have agreed that large quantities of soy may lead to thyroid dysfunction in people who don't have enough iodine in their diets.
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