Soy Causes Infertility?
Is this a myth or a fact? To date, there is no proven scientific evidence male or female infertility being linked to soy consumption.
According to a study conducted a few years ago, men eating a lot of soy foods may end up having a lower sperm concentration than men who don’t eat soy foods.
The study was conducted with about 100 men who presented their semen samples. All males had normal semen analysis and sperm count, shape and quality. Although, the quantity of sperm count did vary, they were within the normal range.
Plus historically, Asians has been one of the highest consumers of soy in all form. But we have not heard of any major infertility issues from that region.
What are the reasons for soy causing sperm reduction in males?
Soy foods products contain compounds called phytoestrogens. There is speculation that phytoestrogens disrupt the endocrine which may result in changing the normal hormone functions. These chemical compounds then hamper the product of normal sex hormones. This has given rise to the debate on whether soy reduces male fertility.
Soy and Female Fertility
What are the effects of soy products on female fertility? One study of women with high soy food intake showed they had symptoms and problems such as abnormal bleeding of the uterus, endometriosis and polyps. These problems subsided once soy was removed from their diet. Research and study is still going on to determine how phytoestrogens really affects a womans hormones.
Does soy milk cause infertility?In short, there is no conclusive evidence that soy causes infertility. So in case you are really worried and have a choice, minimize on your soy intake. This way you do not have to double guess about the negative effects of soy on male or female infertility. Otherwise, on a lighter note, you can ask the millions of Asians who are happily fertile and reproducing merrily even after a heavy soy based diet!