Study suggests soy intake could affect male fertility

CARY Soy intake could impact sperm count in men, a new study published in the journal Human Production on July 23 found.

Researchers at Harvard University followed the intake of 15 soy-based foods over three months in 99 male partners of subfertile couples and found that there was an inverse association between higher soy intake and lower sperm counts that remained significant after accounting for several potentially confounding factors, including age, abstinence, body mass index, and caffeine and alcohol consumption.

Men who consumed the most soy had 41 million sperm/ml less than men who consumed no soy, the researchers found.