
← Nutrition Made Simple!Nouveau · 11 min
Does Soy cause manboobs?! Gynecomastia, Testosterone, Estrogen
Does soy cause gynecomastia aka manboobs? Do the phytoestrogens in soy lower testosterone or cause breasts on men? A look at reported cases of soy-related gynecomastia, testosterone and estrogen levels. Gynecomastia tied to foods other than soyUploaded 19-04-21Does eating soy cause manboobs?Gynecomastia can be caused by hormones. can soy also cause gynecomastia aka breasts on men?Soy contains phytoestrogens. estrogen after the female hormone. chemical structure similar to estrogenthe manboobs story took off after a case of gynecomastia in a man drinking a lot of soy milkscientists dispute the cause of gynecomastia: “not necessarily due to the phytoestrogens” in soy. it probably was related to the soy drink, when he stopped it his gynecomastia resolved. lets say it was the phytoestrogens, how common is gynecomastia tied to soy consumption? only a couple cases tying gynecomastia to soy.8y old boy with gynecomastia eating a lot of processed soy foods. soy nuggets, soy crumbles, soy chili. most reputable sources: soy is healthyBillions of people eating soy. tied to processed soy products not soy itselfif soy caused gynecomastia Japanese men would have breasts?maybe western men cant handle the phytoestrogens? Asian men dont have breasts. randomized trial: soy with or without phytoestrogens, “no changes in breast tissue”maybe only adults can handle phytoestrogens? study: children drinking soy formula vs no soy. none of the boys developed gynecomastia; "soy protein formula in early life does not seem to produce estrogen-like hormonal effects”ok so maybe eating soy doesn’t give me manboobs, but maybe it lowers my testosterone?Rats fed phytoestrogens have lower testosterone. amount of phytoestrogen that lowered testosterone was v. high compared to normal human consumptiondoes soy and phytoestrogen lower testosterone in humans?study found “No significant effect of soy protein or isoflavone (that’s the phytoestrogens) on Testosterone level”“neither soy protein nor isoflavones affect reproductive hormone concentrations in men”They looked at soy foods like tofu and soy milk, soy grits, soy flour as well as phytoestrogen supplementsoverview:“neither isoflavone supplements nor soy itself affect testosterone levels. no evidence that isoflavone affects estrogen levels in men”“isoflavones do not exert feminizing effects on men”“men can feel confident that making soy a part of their diet will not compromise their virility or reproductive health”so soy contains phytoestrogens