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August 21, 2008 8:27:35 AM CDT

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Soy-Based Foods Might Be Reducing Sperm Count

Posted Jul 24, 08 12:13 PM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Soy-based foods could be the root of lower sperm counts in men, a new study finds. Men who consumed more than two portions of soy-based foods a week had, on average, 41 million fewer sperm per milliliter of semen than men who avoided such products. The cheap source of protein has become more prevalent in Western diets in recent years, the Guardian notes.

A normal sperm count falls between 80 million and 120 million per milliliter; scientists say a drop in fertility in the West has roughly paralleled the soy increase. "The take-home message could be that if you've got an already low sperm count … soy foods are probably not a good idea for you," one researcher said.

Source BBC

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A farmer loads a truck with soybean in Ferre, some 270 kms (167 miles) northwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 7, 2008.   (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A producer holds soybeans seeds ready to be planted in Pulinopolis, Brazil, in this Oct. 16, 2006 file photo.   (AP Photo/ Andre Penner)
Many school administrators are sneaking nutrition into school lunches. Administrators are cutting fat and calories by supplementing hamburgers with soy.   (AP Photo/Jeff Gentner)
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  • The study (pdf)
    European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology | Jul 24, 08

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diet  • fertility  • sperm count  • Soy


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