Soy Decreases Sperm Count!

Or does it? According to the Los Angeles Times a new study in the journal Human Reproduction has shown that men who consume large amounts of soy have up to 50% fewer sperm per ejaculation than men who do not eat soy. But the study was small, and previous research has shown the opposite effect: increased sperm count and quality.

I'm wary of soy for lots of reasons and this study, which asked men who were partners of women patients at fertility clinics (so, maybe not the most fertile dudes to begin with) what soy foods they chose to consume makes me even more skeptical of soy as a legitimate food choice. But soy shows up in virtually all processed foods available in the American repetoire, so chosen soy foods are but a small proportion of the soy people may actually consume.

We've written here before about vegans; if increased soy consumption does in fact decrease fertility, I think veganism is a problem that will work itself out the old-fashioned, evolutionary way.