There is the common myth that soy lowers testosterone around the world. In this episode, we dive into soy misinformation with Patrick Elliott, BSc, MPH. Let's learn!

Where to find Patrick Elliott, BSc, MPH:

https://linktr.ee/justhealthinfo

Patrick’s articles for My Nutrition Science:

• https://mynutritionscience.com/misinformation/soy-testosterone/
• https://mynutritionscience.com/misinformation/alkalinecancer/

Patrick’s articles for Training121: 

• https://www.training121.com/post/can-vegans-match-omnivores-for-muscle-gains
• https://www.training121.com/post/spotting-nutribollocks-online

Patrick’s research:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35452873/
  
• https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/24/5371

00:00 Intro | Patrick Elliott, BSc, MPH 02:15 Why is soy relevant ? 08:15 Soy & Breast Cancer 12:18 Equol Producers 16:17 Androgenic Hormones 19:55 Oestradiol and Oestrone 21:22 Does soy decrease testosterone? 27:14 Does soy increase oestrogen? 29:25 Other sources of plant based protein 33:31 The limitations of the studies that support the claim 37:02 Tofu 39:10 Outro

References: 

Meta-analyses of lower likelihood of breast cancer for higher soy food/isoflavone intake: 

2008 paper: 

1.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18182974/ 

2013 paper: 

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21113655/

2014 paper: 

3. https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3930722/pdf/pone.0089288.pdf

2019 paper (see Fig 3 for RR of 0.87): 

4.https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0261561417314267?token=B71E40C2889BC54D3322BD5B2DE6D8A0641DB92C63BF7C58CD2B8FD6F13880FC4333CBF32DCD80C6F18742A94F056C94&originRegion=eu-west-1&originCreation=20230421123344

Equol

5. ​​https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21092366/

6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4548170/

7.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/#:~:text=Each%20gram%20of%20soy%20protein,provides%20about%2025%20mg%20isoflavones

8.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5136390/#:~:text=Sex%20Hormone%20Binding%20Globulin%20(SHBG)%20is%20the%20major%20sex%20hormone,free%20%5B1%2C%202%5D.

9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0302283818305463?via%3Dihub

Couple of case-reports 

10. https://www.sciencedir ect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1530891X20433038

11.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S089990071000359X

Meta-analysis on soy & testosterone

12..https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623820302926?via%3Dihub

Meta-analysis on soy & oestrogen

13.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2691652/pdf/dmp010.pdf

Umbrella Review (Soy and Isoflavone Consumption and Multiple Health Outcomes)

14.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31584249/

Quorn Study

15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36822394/

Limitations of the small studies that appear to support the claim

16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17416779/

17. https://www.nature.com/articles/1601495

Images: 

• https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.032042
• https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/9/2231

More about phytoestrogens: 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978012811410000060X