Is it true that drinking too much soy milk can increase estrogen and decrease testosterone levels?
Soy isoflavones are powerful plant substances that contain phytoestrogens, which are chemically similar to the female hormone estrogen. Soy has been shown to lower levels of testosterone and increase estrogen in both men and women. But since men have and need small amounts of estrogen, it is not harmful to consume soy. In fact, there are some benefits. When the body breaks down isoflavones from soy products, one of the resulting compounds is equol. Equol has been shown to block a certain form of testosterone called DHT, which has been linked to male balding and hair loss. Soy also lowers the occurrence, growth and spread of prostate cancer, which is sometimes fueled by high testosterone levels.
