Thyroid Refractoriness in an Athyreotic Cretin Fed Soybean Formula

Abstract

GOITER and hypothyroidism have occasionally been reported in infants fed soybean diets.^{1 2 3 4 5} in these patients both goiter and hypothyroidism have disappeared when soybean was eliminated. Since 1959 a widely used commercial brand of soybean has been supplemented with iodide,⁶ and to our knowledge no further cases of soybean-induced goiters have been observed.The athyreotic cretin described below showed persistent hypothyroidism while being fed a soy formula, in spite of receiving large doses of desiccated thyroid. Since laboratory animals on soy diet acquire goiter associated with fecal wastage of thyroxine^{7 8 9} we proposed that refractoriness of this infant to exogenous thyroid might . . .