Soy products

[littlebigboy]

I've been reading all sorts of nutritional info lately and I've found conflicting reports on Soy based products and the effects on male testosterone levels.

My wife brought some of that Healtheries ‘Naturally Slim' meal replacement stuff, and I'm thinking ok it's got good protein, bla bla bla; but hang on, it contains Soy products.

Does this mean I should leave it and anything else with Soy in it alone; unless I get keen on ballet dancing in tights ? :shock:

Or is it all hog wash ?

[Flex]

Best to avoid it - while there are conflicting opinions on it, there is no advantage to it over whey protein unless you are lactose intolerant, so you are better off using whey anyway and not running the risk of killing your T levels.

[Pseudonym]

Well, I've tried to find some studies on the effects of soy in males, but haven't had much luck. All I've been able to find so far is this, and I'm not sure whether it proves anything much anyway. The main paragraph of interest is:

These findings indicated that [male] rats reared on a nominally soy-free diet had significantly larger testes and significantly lower FSH levels in adulthood and also had significantly greater body weights than males maintained on a standard soy-containing diet (Table 3); however, the scale of the differences was only in the range of 6-11%, on average, for the parameters measured.

It's interesting, but really, I'm not much wiser. If you want my completely inexpert opinion though, finish up the soy protein if you've still got some left (hell, don't waste good protein!). After that, I'd steer clear of it, as Flex says.

[littlebigboy]

If you want my completely inexpert opinion though, finish up the soy protein if you've still got some left (hell, don't waste good protein!). After that, I'd steer clear of it, as Flex says.

Thanks guys,

Yeah, not much left; I've probably eaten a lot worse over the years

Start reading labels and the whole world changes :?

[Ash]

I've recently dropped soy products completely from my diet because a blood test revealed that I had low testosterone. I think it may have been one of the causes but then again, I used to eat a LOT of soy, as in well over a kilo of soy products each week.

Like most things, I think soy would be fine in moderation and I'll eventually add soy to my diet again but it will be in much more reasonable amounts.

[littlebigboy]

Hey Ash,

Just interested why you had the test done ?

Also, did the Doctor shed any light on possible causes ?

Are you currently taking anything (legal) to boost your levels ?

You don't have to answer if it's a personal thing.

[Ash]

Hey Ash,

Just interested why you had the test done ?

Also, did the Doctor shed any light on possible causes ?

Are you currently taking anything (legal) to boost your levels ?

You don't have to answer if it's a personal thing.

Hi - the test was done as part of a routine checkup - I've written about it a bit in my journal http://nzbb.co.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?t=401&start=0

The doctor wasn't a huge amount of help, especially since the levels now seem to have ended up back in the normal range.

I am currently on a high quality tribulus supplement - I've only been taking it for about 3 weeks but I have noticed some decent strength increases at gym, so hopefully I can boost my test over the medium term and maintain it long term without resorting to HRT.