Endocrine Abstracts

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is an independent government department set up to protect the public’s health and consumer interests in relation to food. The Agency has a vision of ‘safe food and healthy eating for all’.The work of a scientist, I my case a toxicologist, at the FSA is varied and requires us to develop a number of skills Eating is not risk free and it is very important for the safety of the public to assess and minimise that...

The prevalence of obesity is increasing in most populations. The aim of this study was to provide baseline data on the concentrations of chlorinated and brominated dioxins and related compounds as well as polybrominated diphenyl ethers to assess whether concentrations of these compounds are higher in obese than control subjects.Materials and Methods: Patients undergoing Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery for weight loss and control patients who were underg...

Isoflavones are a subgroup of phytoestrogens and have a chemical structure similar to oestrogen, leading to concerns regarding possible adverse effects of isoflavones in men. Testosterone levels in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are lower.Materials and methods: A randomised double-blind, parallel study was undertaken with 200 men with T2DM, of median age of 50 years (25th/75th centiles; 50, 55) years with a total testosterone level ≤12 nm...

: In patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, soy protein and isoflavone combination has been shown to increase the risk of developing overt hypothyroidism; however, it is unclear if soy affects thyroid function in those without existing thyroid compromise.Materials and methods: Two double blind randomised trials were undertaken in which thyroid function was performed routinely at the beginning and end as a secondary end point. In both trials soy protei...

Context: Soy phytoestrogens are suggested to have an adverse effect on thyroid function but the contribution to this by soy protein alone when free from isoflavones is unknown.Objective: The primary aim was to determine the effect of isoflavone free soy protein supplementation on thyroid function, with a secondary aim of assessing the effects on cardiovascular risk indices in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.Design and sett...

Importance: The major factor contributing to the high incidence of osteoporosis in older women is the reduction in estrogen synthesis. Isoflavones have a similar structure to 17-β estradiol and can act as selective estrogen receptor modulators.Objective: To determine the safety and effect of soy isoflavones on bone during early menopause.Design: Parallel, double blind, study.Setting: Secondary care resea...

Soy phytoestrogens (PE) have been shown to improve insulin resistance and lipids but may adversely affect thyroid function.Objective: To determine the effects of soy PE on thyroid function, insulin resistance and lipid parameters in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.Design: A randomised, double-blind, crossover study was undertaken involving 60 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Patients were randomly assigned to eith...