GAY NEWS
Soy Consumption Lowers Sperm Counts (And How to Get Your Boys Back)
By L.K. Regan
Published Aug 01, 2008
Published Aug 01, 2008
That soy latte with extra foam and nutmeg sprinkles probably isn't helping you to look manly. But it also isn't helping you to be manly. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health published a study last week in the journal Human Reproduction indicating that high levels of soy consumption are associated with low sperm counts in men. So if you're worried about your swimmers, maybe you should check your diet.
The study was designed to examine the relationship between semen quality and consumption of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are non-steroidal compounds found in plants; when eaten they can imitate the effects of estrogen. Researchers surveyed 99 men at a fertility clinic. They were particularly interested in evidence of a history of eating a category of phytoestrogens called isoflavones (daidzein, genistein and glycitein). These substances appear in soy-based foods, so researchers asked the men about their consumption of tofu or tofu-based products, soy milk, tempeh, and other soy products such as drinks, powders and energy bars. Based on the survey, men were divided into four groups, divided by the amount of soy and isoflavones they consumed. Researchers adjusted the data to account for other factors such as age, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use. The result? The men in the highest soy intake group had 41 million fewer sperm per milliliter than men who ate no soy. A normal sperm count is 80 to 120 million sperm per milliliter—so those 41 million are a significant effect.
Clearly, researchers are very interested in just how much soy is too much—and initial data suggests that it doesn't take a bucket of tofu to cause problems. "Men in the highest intake group had a mean soy food intake of half a serving per day," said Dr Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a lead author on the study. "In terms of their isoflavone content, that is comparable to having one cup of soy milk or one serving of tofu, tempeh, or soy burgers every other day." Of course, soy addicts might consume substantially more soy than a mere half-serving each day. As Dr. Chavarro pointed out, "It is important to highlight that the figure of half a serving a day is the average intake for men in the highest intake group. Some men in this group had intakes of soy foods as high as nearly four servings per day."
Why exactly soy has this effect on sperm counts will require further research, but Dr. Chavarro theorizes that the phytoestrogens may interfere with hormonal signals that govern sperm production. A secondary finding in the study supports this theory—a whopping 72 percent of the men in the high-intake category were overweight or obese. Higher body fat is associated with increased estrogen production in men. The phytoestrogens from the soy coupled with the estrogen from their own body fat leaves overweight and obese men particularly vulnerable to low sperm counts.
Getting Your Boys Back (or, Start Your Own Sperm Farm)
First, don't panic—low sperm counts won't hurt your sexual performance or actual enjoyment of the dirty deed (an orgasm is still an orgasm). But if you want to re-grow your team—say, if you plan to father children anytime soon, or if it just bothers you not to have the thickest sperm count on the block—the Harvard study suggests the obvious solution of monitoring your soy intake. To keep you in the game, here are a few more suggestions for keeping your sperm count bigger, better, and uncut:
The study was designed to examine the relationship between semen quality and consumption of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are non-steroidal compounds found in plants; when eaten they can imitate the effects of estrogen. Researchers surveyed 99 men at a fertility clinic. They were particularly interested in evidence of a history of eating a category of phytoestrogens called isoflavones (daidzein, genistein and glycitein). These substances appear in soy-based foods, so researchers asked the men about their consumption of tofu or tofu-based products, soy milk, tempeh, and other soy products such as drinks, powders and energy bars. Based on the survey, men were divided into four groups, divided by the amount of soy and isoflavones they consumed. Researchers adjusted the data to account for other factors such as age, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use. The result? The men in the highest soy intake group had 41 million fewer sperm per milliliter than men who ate no soy. A normal sperm count is 80 to 120 million sperm per milliliter—so those 41 million are a significant effect.
Clearly, researchers are very interested in just how much soy is too much—and initial data suggests that it doesn't take a bucket of tofu to cause problems. "Men in the highest intake group had a mean soy food intake of half a serving per day," said Dr Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a lead author on the study. "In terms of their isoflavone content, that is comparable to having one cup of soy milk or one serving of tofu, tempeh, or soy burgers every other day." Of course, soy addicts might consume substantially more soy than a mere half-serving each day. As Dr. Chavarro pointed out, "It is important to highlight that the figure of half a serving a day is the average intake for men in the highest intake group. Some men in this group had intakes of soy foods as high as nearly four servings per day."
Why exactly soy has this effect on sperm counts will require further research, but Dr. Chavarro theorizes that the phytoestrogens may interfere with hormonal signals that govern sperm production. A secondary finding in the study supports this theory—a whopping 72 percent of the men in the high-intake category were overweight or obese. Higher body fat is associated with increased estrogen production in men. The phytoestrogens from the soy coupled with the estrogen from their own body fat leaves overweight and obese men particularly vulnerable to low sperm counts.
Getting Your Boys Back (or, Start Your Own Sperm Farm)
First, don't panic—low sperm counts won't hurt your sexual performance or actual enjoyment of the dirty deed (an orgasm is still an orgasm). But if you want to re-grow your team—say, if you plan to father children anytime soon, or if it just bothers you not to have the thickest sperm count on the block—the Harvard study suggests the obvious solution of monitoring your soy intake. To keep you in the game, here are a few more suggestions for keeping your sperm count bigger, better, and uncut:
- Clean up your act. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption both lower sperm counts. Alcohol in particular causes your liver to produce estrogen. Over-exertion will lower sperm counts as well. So those late nights at the club, dancing like crazy, smoking, and drinking—yeah, that's killing your tadpoles. Stay in, drink tea, chew gum, and get a good night's sleep. You'll have more energy and be better in bed tomorrow, and the little baby sperms will thank you.
- Loosen up and chill out. Hot testicles are sad testicles. Your sperm can't survive in a heated environment. That's why your testicles hang down below your body—to stay cool. So those cute underwear that you like so much—you know the ones, that pull your testicles tightly up against your body in a sexy package? Well, those are a sperm slaughterhouse. The sauna and the hot tub aren't helping either. To grow more sperm, try to keep things cool down there. Wear loose underwear (think boxers); stay out of heated environments; and try not to sit for long periods of time. For the same reason a chicken sits on an egg—to keep it warm—you should try not to hatch your testicles.
- Keep a lid on it. OK, this is a tough one: Frequent ejaculation decreases semen density. You'll just have less sperm in your semen if you are expelling semen very often. So if you feel you really need a high sperm count for some special occasion—say, your lesbian best friend has requested you hand over a plastic cup of your semen to help her make a baby—avoid ejaculating for about three days beforehand. You'll produce more and denser semen when you really need it.
- Stretch your limits. Excess body fat leads to increased estrogen production, and thus fewer sperm. Likewise, a paunchy stomach can smother your testicles when you're seated, making them heat up to a dangerous degree. So you really need to shed the extra pounds and give your boys some room to breathe. But watch how you go about it—excessive cycling, for example, is bad for your testicles. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Yoga is a great, testicle-friendly way to exercise, and it lowers stress hormones, which are also detrimental to sperm production.
- Rise and shine. Some studies have found that sperm levels are highest in the morning. So if you need a high sperm count, set your alarm, get up early, and get to it right away.
du_jock wrote:
Arginine is a semiessential
Aug 04 2:36 AM
Salubrious wrote:
And one more thing to address some of the comments: sperm only makes up 2-5% of ejaculate, the vast majority comes from the seminal vesicles and prostate. Thus, being a "big shooter" has more to do those two organs.
Aug 04 2:03 AM
Salubrious wrote:
Is it just me or is there no link to the article? I know a quick google could probably come up with the study, but it'd be nice to include your source(s).
As for arginine, it can be found in many plant sources such as oats, garbanzo beans/Chick peas, many types of nuts and seeds, and even soy beans. On top of that, it is a non-essential amino acid, and thus can be synthesized by the human body. Perhaps loading your body with it has some benefits, but clearly the body can function easily without it.
Aug 04 1:56 AM
irishcock wrote:
more interested in increasing sperm volume/ any ideas would be good
Aug 04 1:41 AM
Vlas wrote:
In response to mikepdx, this study was a survey, not a carefully controlled experiment. I'm sure if you randomly surveyed a bunch of guys living in the US, high soy intake would probably correlate with low/no meat consumption. However, this article is making it seem like soy is causing the low sperm count when meat consumption wasn't even controlled for. Your argument, therefore, points out a very serious confound in this study rather than supports it.
Aug 03 9:36 PM
inabsentia wrote:
I've been a soy-eating, viril, big-load-shooting vegetarian all my adult life.
Aug 03 6:25 PM
mikepdx wrote:
Reading many of the comments on this article indicates that, perhaps, some more information is needed to convince those who think that sperm count only affects their sex life insofar as their ability to impregnate. The relationship between between sperm count and quality semen production needs to be understood. We (Gay or Straight) men love to shoot thick rocket loads and, lacking the blood chemistry to produce plenty of quality semen and to quickly regenerate it, you're not going to be able to shoot your load more than once without a long recovery time and that load won't be as thick and powerful as it would be without good blood chemistry. Guys on vegetarian or vegan diets will eventually find that they're not as viral as they were before replacing meats with soy protein sources. Meats provide an essential amino acid (L-Arginine) which stimulates testosterone production. So, the young guys who scoff at this article, should develop an understanding of these diet/blood chemistry interrelationships.
Aug 03 4:15 PM
Vlas wrote:
Nice how this article left out the fact that many Asian countries consume WAY more soy than the highest soy-consuming group in this study and have absolutely no fertility problems.
Aug 02 6:54 PM
kablammy wrote:
I don't get it. Sperm count? Whose trying to make a baby?
Aug 02 12:57 PM
NakedDevil wrote:
Actually, you DO want to use a "turkey baster". Traditional intercourse for conception means you are the "father" and have legal obligations (ie, child support). Artificial insemination means you are the "donor" and have no legal obligations. So, it depends if you want to be involved in the upbringing.
Aug 02 6:51 AM
SineOfChange wrote:
The term GAY refers to Males that are Homosexual. This is important MALE health information. Therefore, it is relevant. Also, some gay men do have sex with females as a method of pregnancy (really... who wants to use a turkey baster lmao).
Aug 02 12:59 AM
Alpha13 wrote:
Wonder if sperm count is also a function of testosterone production
Aug 02 12:43 AM
OutdoorAdventurist wrote:
Too much effort to be clever. And other than getting someone pregnant, which I don't ever see myself doing for a number of reasons, why should one care about ones sperm count? Does it have a relationship to testosterone levels?
Aug 02 12:39 AM
Bjorn203 wrote:
I'm confused, why does my sperm count matter to me?
Aug 01 11:33 PM
metropolitan wrote:
I believe this is "Real jock gay fitness health & life" GAY. I don't plan to have sex with a girl to get her pregnant any time soon. maybe next millennium.
Aug 01 11:11 PM