Men who love tofu and other soy products should be cautious. According to recent reports from multiple US media, a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has once again confirmed that daily consumption of soy products can significantly reduce sperm count in men.
This study was conducted by Dr. Jorge Chavarro from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. From 2000 to 2006, researchers followed 99 men. The results were surprising: men who ate soy products every day had only 41 million sperm per milliliter of semen, significantly lower than men who consumed less soy. It is understood that a sperm count of less than 20 million per milliliter is considered too low and can lead to infertility. Furthermore, this relationship was more pronounced in obese men.
Chavarro believes that soy products have an adverse effect on the male reproductive system, particularly sperm production. Soy and its products are rich in isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen. Excessive intake can naturally affect the levels of male hormones in the body, leading to a series of negative consequences.
In China, some andrology experts have also suggested that excessive consumption of soy products can affect male sperm count. Over the past five years, Pan Lianjun, a doctor in the andrology department at the Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, has been paying close attention to this issue. He also found that men who regularly eat soy products have a 3.46 times higher chance of developing erectile dysfunction compared to those who do not.
However, according to a report by The Guardian on July 29 last year, the Soy Protein Association, which represents the UK soy food processing industry, stated that there is currently no conclusive evidence that soy is harmful to human health, and that the amount of soy consumed in daily life is not enough to pose a risk of increased estrogen in men. Pan Lianjun believes that moderate consumption of soy products is the best way to avoid potential health risks. "Moderate" consumption means eating less than three times a week, with each portion being about 100 grams.