So many vitamins...

[Kellennea]

I have a question...

I have been taking Women's One a Day, 1000 u of D3 and Glucosamine and Chondroitin for nagging joint pain. I noticed the other day when I was picking up a new bottle of Women's One a Day that at the very bottom of the bottle it states - contains SOY. uhhhh, great! Ive been feeding myself these pills for the past year and a 1/2. That set me on a mission and I noticed that some D3 pills also contain soy.

I am not supposed to have soy, what am I supposed to do in regards to vitamins? What you are you ladies taking?

I have my 3 month follow-up next month so I guess I'll have to discuss with my Onc.

So annoyed with this.

[ElaineM]

Small amounts of soy are in alot of things, including various kinds of supplements and various kinds of prepared foods. Look at labels before you buy things if you want to avoid soy.

[Kellennea]

Thanks, Elaine - It didnt even dawn on me to look on the labels of supplements that my Onc suggested I take... AND I just happened to notice the label while standing in line. Keeping my eyes wide open now

[chekmark]

Kell,
My oncologist actually told me to take Os Cal plus D. It contains some soy but so little that it is not to alarm you. Although the label indicates soy it is usually just like a dusting of soy that is in the product. That is how is was explained to me. Unless it tells you that there is a large qauntity in it I don't think you need to worry. Alot of Vit D has soy it in as well. The capsules dont but the tablets do. That makes no sense to me but I make sure I always buy the capsules. The glucosamine has helped me alot with the joint pain so I still take them, I try to find a brand with the smallest amounts of soy in it. I wouldn't worry to much about it. I was also told that there really isnt enough soy in foods that should concern us either unless you are eating soy itself, soy tablets etc. I hope this helps. You will be fine. Try to relax and just enjoy every second. You have many years ahead of you.

[Vicki revised]

This may be a crazy thought but soy may be used in making tablets only for composition or chemical purposes--maybe to keep their shape or color or consistency or something like that? Not enough to be an active ingrediant?

[sarah]

hello,
there's been lots of discussions about supplements and it's all confusing and changes constantly.
co-ezyme q10 is thought to be good for the heart particularly when taking herceptin but.....
fish oil, vitamin D and Tumeric/Curcurmin are considered important but
I think each of us must decide on our own and see what works for us.
tumeric/curcurmin does seem to be highly recommended.
be well
sarah

[rhondalea]

I take enough supplements in a day to make a full meal, but I don't take a multivitamin. Instead, I keep a food diary that tracks all my nutrients, and I only supplement those I'm routinely short on. Everything else I take is a not-vitamin (e.g., fish oil, CLA, ubiquinol, and so on).

I'm supposing you want to avoid soy because it's a phytoestrogen. I think the jury is still out on whether phytoestrogens are safe for women with breast cancer--even to the extent that I was invited to participate in a study that requires taking a soy extract pill daily for a year. (I said "no thanks" rather vehemently.) On the other hand, someone who is really serious about giving up phytoestrogens may have to give up eating. Check out the list in this paragraph:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoes...s#Food_sources

Very discouraging.

I avoid soy mostly because of my stupid, wonky thyroid, but also because I grew up in a farming community and to me, it's just not human food. With that said, I find that fermented soy is useful, so I keep a bottle of tamari in the cabinet by the stove. (The defining attribute of humanity: contradiction.)

As to vitamins, I shop online, and the sites I use make note of possibly adverse ingredients, such as soy. Because I have no food allergies or sensitivities, I mostly ignore these notifications. As near as I can tell, the miniscule amounts of soy used in processing are insufficient to have an effect except on those who are exceptionally sensitive.

I checked a few of the more popular multis just now, and it appears that even if they don't contain soy, they have something similar. I did find a list of soy-free vitamins on the Livestrong website, so perhaps that will help you:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/27...s-with-no-soy/

Kirkman EveryDay Hypoallergenic Multi-Vitamins
Slice of Life Gummy Vitamins for Adults Multi Vitamin + Lycopene from Hero Nutritionals, Inc.
Vitamin Code Liquid Multivitamin Formula

Unfortunately, the last one on the list contains other ingredients that might be phytoestrogenic, but the Kirkman ingredients look good. You can also try googling "hypoallergenic vitamins" to see if there are others available.