Scared of soybeans

The insult “soy boy” is most commonly said by effeminate men that worry about their own masculinity. Manly masculine men tend not to feel threatened by a handful of little beans. Thus, when an effeminate man insults other people by calling them “soy boys”, he is projecting his own self-esteem problems onto other people.

Fortunately, there is no need to be scared of soybeans. Studies have demonstrated that soybean consumption does not lower testosterone levels in men.

In one study, they even gave men phytoestrogen (isoflavone) extracts (in effect, concentrated soya), and it still did not lower the testosterone levels in the men. Isolated soy protein was also tested – again, no problem.

Low testosterone in men is most commonly caused not by soybeans but rather by:

• Social rank (beta male status or subservience instead of independence).

• Insufficient sleep.

• Beer and wine (or any source of ethanol).

• Lack of physical exercise.

• Being overweight or obese.

• Junk food including excessive saturated fat and deep-fried food.

• Vitamin D deficiency.

• Zinc deficiency.

• Stress and depression.

• Aging (a natural decline from age 30 onwards).

• Chronic illness (such as diabetes and kidney disease).

• Testicular injury or infection.

• Certain drugs including chronic opioid use and anabolic steroids.

Excess body fat (adipose tissue) increases production of an enzyme called aromatase. This enzyme converts testosterone to estrogen, leading to lower testosterone levels. Therefore, the enemy is body fat not soybeans.

Both men and women naturally produce both testosterone and estrogens, just to different degrees. Soybeans contain phytoestrogens (specifically isoflavones), but these do not lower testosterone levels in men.

Furthermore, men need some amount of estrogen in order to protect their brain. A man with a long-term estrogen deficiency tends to end up stupid, or at the very least, he suffers an increased risk of developing dementia.

Therefore, the phytoestrogens in soybeans should be viewed as a good thing, because they may help protect the brain and boost intelligence, and they do not reduce testosterone.

In any event, phytoestrogens are much weaker than the estrogens found in humans and animals. For example, the daidzein in soybeans is approximately one thousand times weaker than the 17β-estradiol (estrogen) produced by humans, and it does not even fit into every type of estrogen receptor in the human body (it is weak and only partially compatible like a flimsy half-broken key that unlocks only a few doors).

The biggest problem that men face is inadequate exercise, not soybean consumption. Many people prefer to blame a scapegoat rather than take responsibility for their own laziness. The poor old scapegoat gets all the blame for everything!

Here is something to think about: Every time a man eats meat that came from a female animal, he is consuming some amount of estrogens that are identical to the estrogens produced by female humans, therefore equally powerful. If anything, the animal estrogens in meat should be more worrying than the weak phytoestrogens in plants.