Soy is one of the health foods that have been highly respected by nutrition experts in recent years, and the protein it contains is recognized as a high-quality protein that the human body needs. However, a recent scientific survey in the United States shows that certain components in soy can cause a decline in sperm count and affect male fertility. But some British experts point out that soy products are one of the main foods for people in many Asian countries, especially in China and Japan, where the amount of soy products consumed is much larger than that measured in the experiment, but no medical research has found that "Asian men are less fertile than men in other regions".

New study says legumes kill sperm

Many legumes, especially soybeans, are rich in isoflavones, a natural phytoestrogen. In the field of livestock animal research, it has been shown that excessive intake of isoflavonoids from feed can significantly reduce the reproductive capacity of male animals. However, no significant effects have previously been seen in studies involving humans. Recently, however, an experiment led by Harvard University's School of Public **** Health found that men who ate more soy products such as vegan sausages and soy milk had about 40 percent fewer sperm than those who didn't eat such foods. The study was published in the July issue of the American journal Human Reproduction.

According to George?6?1 Chavarro, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University's School of Public ****Health, the experiment's principal investigator, the purpose of the study was to find out about the relationship between phytoestrogens and the quality of men's semen, and "we wanted to find out if soy products affected the quality of semen and would jeopardize the ability of humans to reproduce. " This team of researchers analyzed the intake of 15 soy products by 99 men, all of whom had sought out infertility clinics between 2000 and 2006.

The researchers divided the 99 men into four groups and set portion standards for the 15 soy products, such as soy breakfast sausages, maui beans, tofu, soymilk and soymilk products; the group with the highest intake ate an average of half a portion of soy-based foods a day, which is the equivalent of downing a cup of soymilk, a portion of tofu or a bean-stuffed burger every day; and the group with the lowest intake consumed no soymilk products whatsoever. Chavarro said the results of the experiment varied greatly, the highest group of men than the lowest group of men, 41 million fewer sperm per milliliter of semen. The normal sperm count should be between 20 million and 120 million sperm per milliliter, and less than 20 million is considered abnormal semen, which can affect fertility. Chavarro pointed out that "experiments have shown that soy products do have a negative impact on the male reproductive system, especially semen quality." However, Chavarro is not yet certain that consumption of soy products directly triggers infertility problems. "Only larger studies and surveys will lead to better conclusions."