Soy Sorry: An Avocadbro Investigation

What’s the deal with soy? Does it feminize men? Here’s what I found, split into three parts.

Soy has an unfair reputation for being “feminizing.” Lots of men seem to worry about eating it.

I realized that this unfounded fear is keeping people, especially men, from making dietary choices that they might really benefit from.

I know what Internet commenters who insult “soy boys” think about soy. But what do actual health and nutrition experts think?

This led me on an adventurous quest through mountains of articles, journals, and studies about soy. In doing this research, I’ve read way more about topics like man boobs and female sex hormones than I ever imagined I would.

It turns out, the weight of the evidence is overwhelmingly pro-soy. Mainstream medical sources do not claim that soy causes feminization. Meanwhile, the causes of feminization have been researched a lot–and those main causes have nothing to do with soy.

My confident conclusion from four-plus years of researching this topic is as follows: eating normal amounts of soy does not feminize men.

In fact–and this part was shocking to me–the opposite is potentially true. A normal amount of soy may even be anti-estrogenic, particularly in the chest area.

Still, the anti-soy myth regularly creeps its way into conversations about soy and veganism. What’s worse, and equally as shocking, is there are foods, drinks and substances that men regularly consume that have way more evidence linking them to feminization than soy. By the end of this post, you’ll see why people who use “soy boy” as an insult should really use “beer boy” if they want to be more scientifically accurate.

Long story short: soy has gotten a ridiculously unfair reputation. It’s time we apologize for that.

So let’s shred this myth with all the other food myths. MSG isn’t bad for you. “Fat free” doesn’t mean good for you. The Great Wall of China is not visible from space. Okay, that last one isn’t food related, but did you once believe that as a fact? Turns out, it’s not true, which should help reinforce the fact that, sometimes, commonly held beliefs are completely wrong.

Let’s end this era of soy slander.

DISCLAIMER: Every claim in this article is cited from a credible, mainstream medical source. If you have any concerns or questions about anything you read in this article, please comment below. I am not a doctor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.