Soy linked to low sperm count

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/sexual...3&GT1=31028

 

WEDNESDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Eating half a serving of soy food a day lowers sperm concentrations and may play a role in male infertility, particularly in obese men, Harvard University researchers report.

 

The reason for this relationship between soy and sperm count isn't clear. However, researchers speculate that soy increases estrogen activity, which may have a negative affect on sperm production and also interfere with other hormonal signals.

 

"There have been a lot of interest in estrogen and isoflavones in particular and a potential relationship to fertility and other reproductive disorders," said lead researcher Dr. Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

 

Research in animals has shown that isoflavones and estrogen can have a potentially negative affect on reproduction, including decreased fertility, Chavarro said. However, there is very little evidence of how these findings apply to humans, he said.

 

The new research, he added, lends support to how results of animal studies apply to humans. But Chavarro considers the findings preliminary and inconclusive. "It's way too early to say stop eating soy foods," he said. "It's not time to worry about whether you're eating too much soy. There's not enough information to conclusively say that. "

 

His report was published in the July 24 online edition of the journal Human Reproduction.

 

For the study, Chavarro and colleagues collected data on 99 men who attended a fertility clinic for evaluation. The men were asked about how much of 15 soy-based foods they ate in the past three months.

 

The foods men were asked about included tofu, tempeh, tofu or soy sausages, bacon, burgers, soy milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and other soy products like roasted nuts and energy bars.

 

Because different foods have different levels of isoflavones, half a serving of soy is equal to about one cup of soy milk or one serving of tofu or soy burgers every other day, Chavarro noted.

 

Chavarro's team found that men who ate the most soy had 41 million fewer sperm per milliliter of semen compared with men who did not eat soy foods. Normal sperm counts range between 80 million and 120 million per milliliter, according to a press release from the journal, a monthly publication of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology.

 

In addition, the researchers found that the link between soy and sperm concentration was stronger among overweight and obese men. Overweight and obese men produce more estrogen than thinner men, and soy may increase those estrogen levels even further, they speculated.

 

Moreover, the link between soy and sperm concentration was strongest in men with higher sperm concentrations. Men who have normal or high sperm counts may be more susceptible to soy foods than men with low sperm counts, Chavarro said.

 

Infertility expert Dr. Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad, an associate professor of urology at UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School and Hackensack University Medical Center, agreed that soy may be one factor affecting fertility, especially in overweight and obese men.

 

"When patients are overweight, the fat tissue converts male hormones to more female hormones," Sadeghi-Nejad said. "So, it is possible that the combination of this estrogenic source [soy] and the extra internal estrogen that is caused by the conversion of androgen to estrogen through the fat has a more deleterious effect in that group of patients."

 

In addition, Sadeghi-Nejad noted that although sperm counts decreased most among men who have the highest counts, that should not affect fertility, since sperm counts were still in the normal range.

 

"But this is a good reminder that if you have an overweight patient, with abnormal semen parameters, and a very high soy intake, it may be wise for them to decrease this factor," Sadeghi-Nejad said.

[Guest The Elements of Style]

abnormal semen parameters

Someone's display name down the road.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I don't want fucking want kids. This can only be a good thing.

 

Also, let's consider: my ex just had a miscarriage. Yes, it was/would've been my kid. This study is full of shit. And I still eat plenty of dairy (eggs especially, but milk too) to not really make my intake of soy all that noticeable.

 

Meanwhile, my heart, blood pressure, and body fat level is at an all-time low! How about you guys??

[treble 0]

I don't want fucking want kids. This can only be a good thing.

 

Also, let's consider: my ex just had a miscarriage. Yes, it was/would've been my kid. This study is full of shit. And I still eat plenty of dairy (eggs especially, but milk too) to not really make my intake of soy all that noticeable.

 

Meanwhile, my heart, blood pressure, and body fat level is at an all-time low! How about you guys??

[NyqZoo 0]

I usually just lurk around the wrestling section, I didn't think there would this much insanity in the food forum too.

 

Low sperm count doesn't mean you're not able to have ki... oh fuck it, carry on.

[Guest Vitamin X]

EDIT: Not worth it. But-

But Chavarro considers the findings preliminary and inconclusive. "It's way too early to say stop eating soy foods," he said. "It's not time to worry about whether you're eating too much soy. There's not enough information to conclusively say that. "

Reading is a skill.

 

Hey, I think it's funny that I get brought up as a vegetarian on the board when I still eat meat. Look at mellowvengeful; that dude's a vegan! You can take away my beef, but no fucking way you're gonna get me to give up cheese.

[Nighthawk 0]

It's the same way I get brought up as a pervert when I'm not even interested in threeways anymore. Take that shit out on niskie.

 

My health is miraculous. I think if I followed some sort of diet and exercise plan, I'd be a superhero. You know, instead of a supervillain. I am able to maintain pescatarian for a couple months at a stretch.

 

I could very well be sterile for all I know. I don't care either way.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

EDIT: Not worth it. But-

But Chavarro considers the findings preliminary and inconclusive. "It's way too early to say stop eating soy foods," he said. "It's not time to worry about whether you're eating too much soy. There's not enough information to conclusively say that. "

Reading is a skill.

 

Hey, I think it's funny that I get brought up as a vegetarian on the board when I still eat meat. Look at mellowvengeful; that dude's a vegan! You can take away my beef, but no fucking way you're gonna get me to give up cheese.

 

I do eat fish, so I'm not a real vegan. I'm a poser.

 

I'd also say that beef (at least the choice selections) is healthier option than dairy.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I thought you were based on reading the stuff you eat. So, you're the same as me, basically. I think it depends on what kind of beef, and what kind of dairy in regards to what's healthier.

 

Also, the Spanish for drunken bum is "vago borracho". Or, more commonly, just "borracho".

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I don't want fucking want kids. This can only be a good thing.

 

Also, let's consider: my ex just had a miscarriage. Yes, it was/would've been my kid. This study is full of shit. And I still eat plenty of dairy (eggs especially, but milk too) to not really make my intake of soy all that noticeable.

 

Meanwhile, my heart, blood pressure, and body fat level is at an all-time low! How about you guys??

Best thing since the tie post.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Not even the same ballpark. Tie post was transcendent.

[Gary Floyd 0]

abnormal semen parameters

Someone's display name down the road.

I'll just make it my new member title, thanks.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Not even the same ballpark. Tie post was transcendent.

I wouldn't question that, certainly. If the tie post was 9/11, this was the OKC bombing. Most others are just somebody shooting up a school.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

What the fuck kind of analogy is that?

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Haha. Christ.

[dubq 0]

VX - eggs aren't dairy.. where the hell did you get that idea from?

[Guest Vitamin X]

That whole post was a total mess. I must've been drunk when I posted that.

 

I tend to count eggs in the same thing as dairy pretty much since it's animal by-product (and usually in the whole vegetarian thing, eating eggs and consuming dairy products are what distinguishes you from a vegan) but yes, I'm fully aware they're not dairy, thank you.