Soy-Eating Men Have Fewer Sperm

by Jarrett Martineau | July 23, 2008 at 04:20 pm

2851 views | 18 Recommendations | 22 comments

I've heard about soy consumption leading to an increase in estrogen levels in men, before, but this is the first time I've heard that men who consume a daily amount of soy-based products, including meat substitutes and tofu, are actually experiencing lowered sperm counts as a result.

This is bad news for vegetarians who like their veggie bacon in the morning. It's like the old saying goes: "Eating meat keeps you fertile". Oh wait, no one says that.

Men who eat soy foods are more likely to have lower sperm counts than men who don't, new research suggests.
Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that men who eat an average of half a serving of soy foods per day have 41 million sperm per millilitre less than men who do not consume any soy products.

The normal sperm concentration range is between 80 and 120 million per millilitre.

The findings are published in the online edition of Human Reproduction.

Previous research has linked a high consumption of plant compounds known as isoflavones, which can be found in soy products, with infertility in animals. Isoflavones are known to mimic the hormone estrogen in the body.

Three types of isoflavones -- daidzein, genistein and glycitein -- are found mainly in soy beans and other soy-based products.

For this study, researchers led by Dr. Jorge Chavarro studied the soy intake of 99 men who visited a fertility clinic with their spouses between 2000 and 2006.

They included foods such as tofu, tempeh and soy-based meat and dairy alternatives and energy bars.

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Vinny

at 16:23 on July 23rd, 2008

Glad I don't eat soy!

nukemdomis

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 20:31 on July 23rd, 2008

Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff.

tstorey (not verified)

at 20:55 on July 23rd, 2008

Just another confirmation that a vegetarian diet makes your d--- fall off.

"Ummm...my girlfriend wants me to order the steak..."

Paschen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 21:06 on July 23rd, 2008

Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Well, may save of the cost of contraceptives! Eat Soy if you do not want children, now there is an add campaign! Now I may go into marketing Soy as birth control!

Barry Artiste

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 22:06 on July 23rd, 2008

Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff. Geez, Jarrett, that's what I have been saying all along. It is also proven to grow breast tissue, I mean you don't hear me complaining about that though.

Barry Artiste

at 22:07 on July 23rd, 2008

High Larious, TS, that comment made my day!

renovatio

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 22:36 on July 23rd, 2008

Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff.

In south east asia, especially in Indonesia, soy is a common thing to eat and no complaint about fertile

As far as i know, soy is not allowed for those who have autism.

Tanasha

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 22:36 on July 23rd, 2008

I like this story. It's good stuff.

I won't serve my other half any more Soy - or will I ?

Marci Maleski

at 01:30 on July 24th, 2008

Soy products can also affect thyroid function, worsening hypothyroidism.

yaya cun

at 05:50 on July 24th, 2008

ayyo.. I never thought it has that effect on men..

O gosh.. be careful men with soy.. aha..

kiddy factory

at 05:53 on July 24th, 2008

Hiyayakko

recipe:
- silk tofu
- fish flake (katsuobushi)
- green onion
- soy sauce

1. place the tofu on the plate.
2. sprinkle fish flake on tofu.
3. then green onion.
4. pour soy sauce how ever you like.

kiddy factory has contributed a photo to this story.

florathexplora

at 06:16 on July 24th, 2008

This was taken in Markham at the 2008 Night Market. A market filled with various Asian food and lines ups that would compete with an amusement park. The smell of stinky tofu smelled awful at first scent but you get used to it surprisingly. It was actually tantalizing by the end of the evening .. until I got home and realized that the smell had followed me ...

florathexplora has contributed a photo to this story.

sbpeace104

at 06:17 on July 24th, 2008

tofu with scallions

sbpeace104 has contributed a photo to this story.

tims_creations

at 06:49 on July 24th, 2008

A wonderful fried tofu appetizer at Taipei Restaurant in Duluth, GA.

tims_creations has contributed a photo to this story.

cool_xin

at 07:07 on July 24th, 2008

chinese tofu

cool_xin has contributed a photo to this story.

Frank Thoughts (not verified)

at 07:37 on July 24th, 2008

If you want your jode to have spunk, then you should include some meat in your diet. It is why Mongolians, for example, are much bigger than other asians. Tofu just isn't going to do it for you.

tea.honey bread.peace

at 19:19 on July 24th, 2008

Thanks for choosing my photo for your story. Honestly, it's just another one of those things where moderation is key. Of course being a woman no longer interested in birthing babies, this news isn't all that bad!

Again, many thanks.

tea.honey bread.peace has contributed a photo to this story.

Miss Dré

at 20:06 on July 24th, 2008

Yummy Porridge and Tofu.

Miss Dré has contributed a photo to this story.

morbidable

at 12:11 on July 26th, 2008

It seems as if every food has some kind of detrimental effect on health..
All in moderation, I say.

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kkeyks

at 19:35 on July 31st, 2008

This is the first for me to hear about this effect of soy products. It may be a factor to the decrease of sperm count, but I don't think it's solely due to eating soy.

kkeyks has contributed a photo to this story.

BigEsmoov (not verified)

at 07:33 on October 16th, 2008

this is entirely misleading, the last 2 paragraphs state (when you go to article linked at the bottom):

The researchers also found the link between soy food consumption and sperm counts was strongest in men who were overweight or obese.

This strong link could be explained by the fact that overweight and obese men already produce more estrogen than thinner men.

what was the percentage of overweight and obese men and how did this contribute to their conclusion. were all the men tracked overweight and obese? it would seem there were at least some and what was the control group they compared it to? how was the normal range they are referring to derived.

without much more information it is difficult for me to take this article seriously

as a side note there are well over 1 billion chinese and japan is not having any diminishing population problems and both are avid consumers of soy based products.

Vrajadhama (not verified)

at 15:05 on January 22nd, 2009

Your research is outdated. The doctor responsible for this research also states that the lowered sperm counts could reflect the overall health of the participants, which were overweight and generally of poor health. I dont see any fertility problems in Asia which has been consuming soy products for thousands of years. Be sure to reasearch your topic more in depth before posting an article that can mislead people. Let me guess your a meat eater? big suprise!