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Tofu a day, sperm goes away: study

SIRI AGRELL

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:51 AM EST 24/07/08

Men who consume more soy products have lower sperm counts, especially if they are overweight, says study ...Read the full article

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  1. Jerry g from Canada writes: So maybe, the overweight is the factor, not the soy? Who sponsored the study?
  2. City Pig from Toronto, Canada writes: Wasn't there an article a few weeks back about fat guys with low sperm counts?
  3. B Lam from Canada writes: This is good news for women, instead of taking birth control pill which has numerous side effects, women may just demand their other halves to eat more tofu.
  4. Michael Soft from Outerspace, Canada writes: Obese men should worry more about eating greasy food than eating soy. Maybe a healthy diet and regular exercise could slim them down so they could produce more sperms regardless they are eating soy or not. Another dumb research!
  5. Sunny Sun from Calgary, Canada writes: This is an interesting study. Sounds like if you eat tofu everyday you don't need to wear condom to have sex. Tofu works like a birthcontrol pill for men. I never heard anyone eats tofu everyday. What a crap study! I like tofu but I just enjoy it once or twice a week. My wife drinks homemade soy milk almost everyday.
  6. RD Lone from Vancouver, Canada writes: By extension vegetarians have lower sperm counts.
  7. Rain Couver from Canada writes: Maybe this is nature's way of saying that it is natural to eat meat? Vegetarians will be left behind in the evolutionary dust.
  8. Matthew Follwell from Toronto, Canada writes: As the author correctly states, tofu and other soy-based products contain phyto-estrogens which supress testosterone activity or conversion (directly related to sperm production). Similarly, obesity increases the peripheral conversion of estrogen (re: risk factor for breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer in women) and would have an additive or even synergistic effect on sperm counts.
    I do not know of any research suggesting vegetarians have lower sperm counts. This population is also less likely to be obese and probably underlies the synergistic effect.
  9. Diane Ferguson from Owen Sound, Canada writes: I wouldn't use it as birth control! My husband is an overweight vegan and we have two children conceived quite easily even though both of us were older.
  10. Commander Groovechild from Canada writes: I just checked my bottle of Vitamin E. It contains soy oil. This is an interesting situation where if true can cause a realignment of consumer purchasing habits. My favourite sauce - General Tao - seems to be mostly soy and sesame oil. It's not as if switching products would be difficult to do.
  11. No Name Necessary from Canada writes: just like everything else too much of a good thing is not good.
  12. M. Mark from Victoria, Canada writes: Who came up with this proposal for a research topic???? Perhaps I should submit a research funding proposal to examine whether women who eat toast with butter experience stronger orgasms than those women who use margarine?
  13. Girl from Ipanema from Canada writes: The idea that excess soy could contribute to decreased sperm count is fairly intuitive considering the high concentration of isoflavones, which mimic estrogen (just like bisphenol A, incidentally, so it makes you wonder if your water bottle is really all that dangerous). HOWEVER:

    1) You should certainly not decide that soy is going to be your birth control. That would be ineffective, and just plain ridiculous. Low sperm count does not mean infertility.

    2) I am severely concerned that the study's sample population was taken directly from patients at fertility clinics. These people were ALREADY having trouble conceiving and many would have been experiencing low sperm counts, which may not have had anything to do with their soy consumption. This is a serious flaw in the research design: many men in the general population consume soy, but they are not included in the study simply because they are not being treated for infertility.
  14. Mike Mikelson from Canada writes: Finally some good news
  15. Mr. Coffee from Victoria, Canada writes: Great news. Now pass the HP sauce for my 16 ounce t-bone. I'm starting to feel the love.
  16. Old Sam Dark and Dirty from Republic of Newfoundland, Canada writes: What a stupid story. I would say that Asians eat more Soy products than anyone and they don't seem to be having any issue making billions of babies.

    On the flip side it would be great if the granola crunching lefties stopped procreating, that would be 1 positive from this story.
  17. Matthew McGarvey from Ottawa, Canada writes: From the tone of many comments, it seems we have evolved to eat meat and be obnoxious.
  18. M Clarke from Canada writes: Diane Ferguson - I've never seen or heard of an overweight vegan. I didn't know it was possible. That's more interesting that the article!
  19. Scare Crow from Canada writes: China is the biggest consumer of tofu and other soy based foods. How come they are the most populous nation on earth?
  20. j wilson from M Clarke, Canada writes: M Clarke: There's no such thing as an overweight low-carb vegan.

    With carbs vegans can be as mushy as the rest of us.

    4 slices of wholegrain toast with honey and natural jam for breakfast is a nice super-GI kickoff to your day.
  21. Duncan McCockenue from Canada writes: Damnit DC! I was going to say that... hahaha
  22. Duncan McCockenue from Canada writes: M Clarke; there are lots of overweight vegans... its just not politically correct to call them elephants anymore!
  23. Able Bodied Man from It's NOT 'VICTORIA' Island, Canada writes: OH NO!

    That means if I eat tofu my sperm count will plummet to anywhere from 39 million to 79 million per ml, right? How will I ever beget?
  24. Able Bodied Man from It's NOT 'VICTORIA' Island, Canada writes: OH NLEE YOUUUUU

    Does anyone remember that old school thinking about it only takes one sperm cell !
  25. shoshana berman from Canada writes: Yes a low birth rate in Asia seems to have caused difficulty for centuries now.

    Right.
  26. Dick Garneau from Canada writes: Why publish such a lame study. Sounds like publish or perish.
  27. Thomas Anderson from Canada writes:

    The Chinese don’t actually eat vast amounts of tofu and other soy foods. It’s a myth.

    See this study about soy and bladder cancer:

    http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/12/1674
  28. Emilio Garazgos from Kanata, Canada writes: I wouldn't be at all surprised if this stupid study was funded by McGreasePucks or the beef industry, both of whose market shares no doubt have been diminishing in recent years as consumers become more conscious of the food choices they make.

    'SO WHAT!' if soy products do in fact reduce sperm counts in obese males ? In my book, that's Good Thing.

    I eat tofu every day, if not in a tofu/yoghurt/fruit smoothie as part of breakfast, then as part of supper and I certainly have no shortage of sperm or testosterone-addled Penile Being behaviours. I can be just as knuckleheaded as my meat-eating Scottish male neighbours.
  29. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Products that contain tea tree oil also mimic estrogen, and can can lead to the development of man-boobies.
  30. S L from Canada writes: The Chinese and other Asian do consume a lot more soy-based food products. It is not a myth.

    Tofu has been used as a meat substitute for Buddha Monks. Since the Monks seldom procreate, so the result of this study must be true...
  31. Michael Soft from Apple, Canada writes: 'Tofu has been used as a meat substitute for Buddha Monks. Since the Monks seldom procreate, so the result of this study must be true...'

    LOL!!! How do you know monks don't procreate? They might just not tell you!
  32. Jorly fuster from Canada writes: Meat makes you impotant too, Eat too much and your prostate falls out.
  33. Paul I from Rochester, United States writes: Thank you Dr. Fuster- remember it's nice to be 'impotant', but it's more 'impotant' to be nice.
  34. Iain's Opinion from Canada writes: MMMMMMMMMMM deep fried tofu, slathered in soy sauce with black bean curd. Natures way of eliminating the weak.
  35. A S from Toronto, Canada writes: Paul I from Rochester is a riot. LOL :-) (esp. the last comment)
  36. Sybil DeBrusk from Canada writes: The soy the Japanese consume and which has been proven to have health benefits is fermented soy like tempeh, not the highly processed soy protein left over from the production of soy oil. The soy sold in North America is not a health food.
  37. Able Bodied Man from It's NOT 'VICTORIA' Island, Canada writes: Jorly fuster from Canada writes: Meat makes you impotant too, Eat too much and your prostate falls out.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    When that happens I just shove it back in.
  38. Able Bodied Man from It's NOT 'VICTORIA' Island, Canada writes:
    Unsually when I'm romancing a woman she'll always say, 'Do you have protection?'

    I just say, 'Nope, I eat 5 pounds of tofu a day and my latest sperm count was minus 2 million.'
  39. City Pig from Canada writes: I wore a tuxedo to get my vasectomy, I figured if I was going to be impotent I should look impotent.
  40. ling wu from Canada writes: I's gonna gets myself a big new hat, 'cause if I's impo'tant, I's gonna dress impo'tant.
  41. Pepper Gee from Toronto, Canada writes: City Pig and ling wu - you guys are just too funny!!! Thanks for the morning laugh! Ha ha ha!!
  42. Howard Roark from Whitby, Canada writes: City Pig from Toronto, Canada writes: Really, how did you get a sperm sample from a guy who eats tofu daily any how?
    >>>
    Ask his boyfriend for it.
  43. Howard Roark from Whitby, Canada writes: My apologies for the last comment. I could not resist, but did not mean to offend anyone, especially tofu-eating dudes.
  44. Durward Saar from Canada writes: Too Funny, but hey who needs more de-masculated men pretending to be a father figure anyway LOL.
  45. Justin Payne from Richmond BC, Canada writes: Um...who counts sperm?
  46. Alberta Dennis Notso,redneck from Canada writes: OK boys step in that darkened room with this glass and turn on the TV. If that does not work we have a balloon called Mary!!
  47. Gawd Knows from Canada writes: Eating Tofu is a sin, and is no different than using a condom or other methods of birth control. The Pope will soon issue a decree prohibiting Catholics from eating any of it.
  48. Lyn Alg from Canada writes: The Chinese and Japanese have been eating tofu almost daily for hundreds of years yet they have one of the highest population densities in the world. One really has to wonder about the type of research and the results of studies that come from Universities. Go figure.
  49. Able Bodied Man from It's NOT 'VICTORIA' Island, Canada writes:
    I wrote a study that said women really like men who eat fish-flavoured tofu.
  50. M. U. from Canada writes: What a crap study!

    What's ailing the general population is the growth-hormone laced meat and dairy products, which people also tend to eat too much. And I bet there will never be a study that will tell you they are bad for you, because the big business wouldn't allow it.

    By the way, isoflavone is very rich in beer too, which is partly why beer-loving males all carry a 'beer-belly' around. But nobody will ever have the nerve to advise you to stop drinking beer, because the big beer boss will be really mad at a study like this.

    Ironically most vegetarians are in better shape than the average North American.
  51. Lowen Wrainger from Canada writes: Tofu,eh? To FU, eh? oops I must be losing it .....
  52. Mc Luvin from Canada writes: headline research for the news ticker. is that the real purpose of this news release. probably more to do with the body's balancing and thats confirmed by the conflicting results. if isoflavones give a lift to sperm in the beginning, which it does seem to do, it stands to reason the body sees the higher rate and corrects this by producing less. and who funded this... could it be the dairy industry?
  53. Paul I from Rochester NY, United States writes: I think it was funded by the North American Sperm Counters Association. I have done some private research for them. They keep you busy though. They are certainly a handful to work for.
  54. Paul I from Rochester NY, United States writes: M.U. from Canada- speaking of crap studies: where did you get your information that 'ironically most vegetarians are in better shape than most North Americans? Please expound on this point. Maybe Dr. Jorly Fuster did the work on this study.
  55. M. U. from Canada writes: Paul I from Rochester NY, United States:
    I don't need a study to know that the Chinese, and the Japanese as well, have been eating tofu for over 2000 years, and they happen to have the largest population in the world. In the same token, I don't need to rely on any worthless study to understand that vegetarians are healthier than the general population. There is a thing in each one of us that is called 'common sense'. Use it or lose it.

    I have no faith in any so-called 'scientific studies' any more, which are, almost exception, all funded by interest groups to advance their private interests at the expense of public interests.
  56. Paul I from Rochester, United States writes: M.U. Lousy answer. Now you are getting all prickly because you know you made a dumb statement. Any absolute statement like the one you made is inane and too easily rejected. To compound your error, you now proclaim that China and Japan have been eating tofu for over 2000 years.How do you know this? Do you think there could possibly be some meat or poultry or fish in those diets also?
  57. Thomas Anderson from Canada writes:

    1) There are no growth hormones in Canadian meats or dairy foods. None. Zero.

    2) “The chinese” eat whatever foods are available to them, depending on season and location, which may include poultry and eggs, fish and shellfish, pork, milk, tree fruits and a variety of garden vegetables. In difficult times, when or where these foods are not available, they may be replaced with dogs, cats, rats and tofu.

    3) There is also no such thing as “The Japanese Diet.” Like the Chinese, the Japanese eat the foods most easily obtained -- which of course means lots of fish -- but they also rely on pork to a large extent along with local fruits and vegetables. They use soy almost exclusively for seasoning. Tofu is not big in Japan.

    4) Some vegetarians are healthier than non-vegetarians, some are not. Some are healtheir because of other lifestyle choices (smoking for example), but some have higher cancer rates than the general population which appears to be related to diet. Vegans tend to die at around the same age as heavy meat eaters, even though less likely to suffer from obesity.

    It’s a complex world.
  58. Paul I from Rochester, United States writes: Thomas Anderson- It is a very complex world. it's too bad we all can't find the black and white, yes or no answers to all of the issues that trouble us. There is a lot of 'grey' in the world and it seems to me that those people, such as yourself, who recognize we live in the 'grey' are best-suited to deal life in the grey world. Nice post, thanks
  59. Joe Falcon from Thunder Bay, Canada writes: Was the soy protein chemically extracted (fake meat) precipitated out ( tofu ) or fermented or moldy. It matters.
    In any case the health benefits of eating soy instead of meat are backed up by volumes of research. Read 'The China Study' by Campbell and Campbell.
    As others have pointed out, the study is flawed.

    In China, instead of limiting each couple to one kid, they should just adminster soy milk intravenously. lol
  60. L B from Tofuville, Canada writes: Hey-

    From personal experience, I've eaten tofu daily for 8 years and yet can still procreate-tofu/veg burgs is/are a great substitute for meat-fills you, gets you the protein you crave and helps with meat-induced weight gain. Lost 30 lbs. Fry firm tofu with black bean sauce-I defy anyone to say it tastes boring. Or cut firm tofu into 1cm 'slabs' and bake on cookie sheet @325 for 20 mins to dry out in the oven-slather with hot sauce and garlic plus prior to heating, turn halfway through . Consistency like beef jerky. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce. For the most part, I stick to La Soyarie's sesame-miso or ganmoburgers-eat 'em cold.

    Maybe as well giving up the brewskis and the subsequent nighttime eats has also helped me regain my boyish physique.

    Soyboy out-
  61. Purple Koolaid from Ottawa, Canada writes: Thank God. Now I have a legitimate excuse for refusing to eat tofu. Give me some more of that red meat.
  62. Dan Thomas from Canada writes: Interesting news. Tofu and soy products are at the top of the no list anyway due to the high oxylate content and the way my body process oxylates.
  63. Jorly fuster from Canada writes: thanks paul I, and remember it's also "impotant" not to be an idiot.
  64. Jorly fuster from Canada writes: "Dan Thomas from Canada wrote: Interesting news. Tofu and soy products are at the top of the no list anyway due to the high oxylate content and the way my body process oxylates"

    Ha, you'll beleive anything I guess Dan. We've been through this before. There is absoutely no corolation between kidney stones which come from too much oxylate acid content and vegetarian or vegan diets. You're probable like a lot of guys who are insecure about your masculinity so eating soy of anykind or walking into a Lululemon are out of the question. Sure you may die young, but you'll die a man.
  65. Paul I from Rochester, United States writes: Hi Jorly- Congratulations on your breakthrough. We look forward to the application of your newly accquired wisdom. It will be a refreshing change for all of us.

    P.S. Re your 9:47 post- I would never pass up a chance to get into someones Lululemons. That's just how we carnivores are. Yummy!
  66. Kim Morton from Canada writes: Another fine use of scarce tax dollars. with luck the granola munchers will eat their way to oblivian and quit trying to destroy our economy.
  67. Tom h from Edmonton, Canada writes: Matthew McGarvey: well said.
  68. Dan Thomas from Canada writes: Jorly, interesting statement. For one thing I was eating a lot of soy and tofu before I started developing kidney stones 6 years ago. I was producing about 3 per year. I went on a low oxylate diet and haven't had any new formations or growth of the two left. Get a life and think before you speak. You don't know me so why would you make assumptions about me. But then I guess taking my wife's last name when I got married is a sure sign of my masculine insecurity too isn't it?

    I suggest you start researching how kidney stones are formed, the oxylates don't just magically appear, unless you're trying to say my oxylate stones aren't actually made of oxylate? Or perhaps you know more than my urologist does?
  69. Dan Thomas from Canada writes: I just noticed your statement about eating vegetarians. I never once stated that I don't eat vegetables, I do still eat my veggies. Good on you for making another asinine assumption there jorly. Seriously now, you're making yourself look rediculous.
  70. joseph Cheng from Toronto, Canada writes: Now we know why China has a lot of success in controlling her population in recent years. The Chinese government obvious knew about this long before we do and has been encouraging its citizens to consume as much soy products as possible.
    Young dudes! If you don't want to be shot-gunned into marriages, you better start gobbling up your tofu!
  71. D H from Daniel, Canada writes: Tofu is Asian, right? Chinese population: 1 billion and counting. Canada: 30 million and importing.

    Guess I'll stick to my Timbits.
  72. emilio D from Canada writes: Acc. to Dr. Kenneth Setchell, director of Mass Spectrometry at Cincinnati Chldren Hospital Medical Center, soy is good for prostate cancer and male pattern baldness because of the molecule, equol, in soy which stops the male hormone(DHT) dihydrotestosterone which is responsible for the increased size of the prostate and male pattern baldness. So we can actually use soy to our advantage if a couple have already decided and succeeded how many kids they want to have and use soy as male contraceptive, prevention of prostate cancer and look good at the same by preventing male pattern baldness. So keep that soy inside the fridge if you already have kids running around.
  73. Paul I from Rochester, United States writes: Emilio D- thanks for the tip. I have decided to actually place the tofu on top of my head to cover up my baldness. Hopefully it won't be too hot the rest of the summer.
  74. Terry F from Edmonton, Canada writes: Hmmm...this study makes some sense. If you're a guy and you take a chick out for dinner and you order yourself some tofu, the odds that you'll end up going home alone without the chance to procreate are very good. Sorry, but tofu=dweeb. Eat beef!

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