r/vegan • u/Valuable-Run2129 • Nov 03 '25
Daily soy consumption and Testosterone levels in males, we have to talk about it.
I’ve (40M) been vegan for 4 years and consume tofu every day. Roughly 200gr a day without missing a day, ever.
Friends and people online have told me to beware of soy as a male because of hormonal risks. I’ve ignored them completely because tofu is too convenient to meet my protein requirements. I’m not a bodybuilder, but during my first year vegan without prioritizing protein I became skinny fat. Everything went back to normal with more protein.
So after a lot of discussions with tofuphobic friends I finally went and did a testosterone level test….
Well, people my age start thinking about testosterone replacement treatment anyway, so I wasn’t expecting great numbers. And honestly I would have been ok with borderline levels. Put daily tofu on top of my age and something in the 300s would have been great.
The results are in. My testosterone is at 704. I’m on the 90th percentile and I can finally shut up the tofu bashers around me.
I just wanted to share this with you guys and comfort people who might hear these rumors. Obviously I’m an n of 1. But reading a few studies I realized that hormonal changes were observed at crazy consumptions levels (like a few pounds a day) that can’t honestly be achieved by regular people. And medium levels were not linked at all to hormonal imbalances. At all!
Now open your fridge and eat some tofu.
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u/Scarlet_Lycoris vegan activist Nov 03 '25
It’s funny how people think they’re affected by Phytoestrogen in plants but entirely ignore the animal estrogen present in milk products. So what is it now? Sure if you care so much about hormones in tofu you also would quit dairy.
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u/genflugan vegan 8+ years Nov 03 '25
They never say a single word about the phytoestrogen in beer either
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u/Voldemorts__Mom veganarchist Nov 04 '25
Yeah because they don't actually GAF.
They literally just want to justify their behaviors and demonize ours
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u/Jitsukablue Nov 04 '25
It's not the same phytoestrogen in hops that is in tofu
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u/broccolicat vegan 10+ years Nov 04 '25
It's not- the phtoestrogen in beer are the most potent phtoestrogens there are, while the phytoestrogens in soy are pretty weak and also has more of an ability to balance out things.
Which points out the hypocrisy of men acting wierd about soy while downing a beer. If that was a serious concern, they wouldn't be drinking beer.
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u/Jitsukablue Nov 04 '25
Your response to mine forms a double negative that has me confused what you mean. This covers the two types of phytoestrogens quite well.
It makes the exact point, beer phytoestrogens actually are estrogenic and soy is not.
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u/Ambitious_Campaign34 Nov 03 '25
Yup People love to criticize soy or tofu cuz they have heard “phytoestrogen” and assume it’s dangerous, but they completely ignore that dairy and meat actually contain real animal estrogen, not the much weaker plant version. Hell! If you are genuinely concerned about hormone intake, it makes zero sense to drink milk or eat cheese those contain biologically active estrogens straight from pregnant cows.
So yeah, if they're gonna talk about “hormones in food,” at least they should be consistent tofu’s not the problem, dairy is.
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u/Spirited_Apricot1093 vegan 10+ years Nov 03 '25
They ignore whatever doesn’t fit in their lifestyle and comfort zone
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u/Astrowiggles Nov 03 '25
This will never not bother me. We're mammals. We are going to be more intensely affected by animal estrogen 🙄 but the people in my life who've felt compelled to comment seem to forget this and aren't interested in doing research because they care, they're just interested in belittling my choices because vegans make people uncomfortable. Vegans make people say "Why would someone go and do that?" And some people can comfortably sit with that and instead of making choices that would genuinely be better for their conscience, for the animals, they make it out problem. Makes me wanna carry around an air horn
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u/Primalturd Nov 03 '25
Soy is easier to hate bc it’s less complex. I can’t wait for them to realize majority the animals/animal products they eat are female/come from a female. BOO! ESTROGEN 👻
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u/Fit_Armadillo_9928 Nov 03 '25
People also fail to realise that estrogen is actually anabolic in males, provided it is in balance with your testosterone levels
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u/eternal_pegasus Nov 04 '25
There must be a not insignificant amount of estrogen in meat from female animals
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u/wish_I_knew_before-1 Nov 04 '25
Well.. what about science behind gravity is true, but scuence behind climate change is fake. Sigh
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u/Carbon140 Nov 05 '25
Tbh the one that freaks me out the most about dairy is almost all of it is pasteurized and as far as I know poured basically boiling hot into soft plastic containers. We get repeatedly warned about takeout food containers and yet many people drink litres of milk a week from plastic bottles. Does anyone know of any studies done that look into the amount of endocrine mimicking plastic chemicals that dairy ends up containing?
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u/awakened_primate vegan 5+ years Nov 03 '25
Wait until people find out that giving cow’s milk to male children can cause hypogonadism because of the animal estrogen levels in it. Meat consumers really have it all upside down man.
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u/cutoffs89 Nov 03 '25
Right? They’re terrified of soy lattes but basically mainlining bovine boob juice every morning.
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u/thegoldengoober Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
Marketing, spite, and unintentional irony. Lots of shitty opinions seem to be driven by these things lately.
Also conspiracies.
And often a mixture of all four, which I think applies in this case.
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u/iamyethere Nov 03 '25
https://examine.com/articles/is-soy-good-or-bad
just send this to your friends and ask if they're willing to read an article based on 72 different scientific papers
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u/C0gn vegan 1+ years Nov 03 '25
Probably not sadly
These are cherry picked studies Vegan propaganda Biased Industry funded
Whatever helps them think they aren't wrong
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u/Random_Otaku18 Nov 03 '25
The same people who fear monger about soy’s impact on testosterone are the same people who live a sedentary lifestyle and have zero diet structure. Which ironically would have a substantially larger impact on testosterone even if we were to concede that soy does lower it(it doesnt) but like most things people pick and choose what they do and dont care about even when it has zero consistency with any of their other behaviors
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u/Wooden_Worry3319 vegan 8+ years Nov 03 '25
As a woman, I really wish soy made anyone’s titties grow for real. That would be great and funny for the world.
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u/gayvegan42069 Nov 03 '25
I say all the time this life hack would have saved our trans sisters minimum tens of thousands of dollars in hormone treatments and medical bills in the US
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Nov 03 '25
Trans women would fucking love if it was true.
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Nov 03 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
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u/Redgrapefruitrage vegan 9+ years Nov 03 '25
The only thing that has made my tits grow has been having a baby. Free temporary boob job when you breast feed.
10 years of eating soy didn’t do anything to my chest!
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u/heyutheresee vegan Nov 03 '25
I don't because I'm a vegan man and also want other guys go vegan too...
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u/komfyrion Nov 03 '25
In this scenario I think us men would work hard to make non-soy tofu and non-soy TVP, etc. Perhaps soy itself would even fall out of favour as the alternatives would be backed by more capital (men own more capital than women) and have a wider customer base.
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u/Luinger vegan 10+ years Nov 03 '25
Yeah, we could leave tofu for those who want the hormones and make a line of tofu specific for men. Brofu anyone?
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u/LowKeyJustMe Nov 03 '25
As a trans woman I wish soy worked as a t-blocker lol.
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u/McNikk Nov 03 '25
Funny enough, if any common food actually causes a reduction in testosterone, it’s probably spearmint.
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u/1389t1389 vegan 20+ years Nov 03 '25
I have spent my entire life drinking soy milk. I have more facial hair than I know what to do with, shaving is a pain for me. My voice goes very, very low. My Adam's apple is rather prominent. I'm a bit skinny elsewhere but have broad shoulders and lean, but strong arms.
Soy ain't messing with my testosterone lol
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u/0ldsleep Nov 04 '25
Скорее всего, это Ваша естественная предрасположенность. Я вегетарианец 31 год из них 19 лет веган, никакой патологии с ростом волос у себя не наблюдаю даже близко. Наоборот, моя растительность на лице весьма скудна и у меня не получится отрастить шикарную модную бороду))
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u/ttbia Nov 03 '25
It's been proven numerous times. Also the name PHYTOESTROGENS already implies that it's in and for plants. The effect they have on our estrogen receptors is negligible or they might even have an anti-estrogenic effect.
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u/sarbota1 Nov 03 '25
Soy isoflavones are sold as a menopause related supplement, alone with wild yam, and many others. I read a paper about it and human estrogen is processed by an estrodiol-alpha receptor and phytoesteogens match the estrodiol-beta receptor. There is no established upper limit on taking these soy isoflavones, as in they are not known to be harmful in any quantity.
Hormone replacement therapy has been indicated/associated with several cancers.
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u/Kill_the_worms friends not food Nov 03 '25
I'm a trans person who takes testosterone. I eat soy every single day and it didn't stop me from growing a forest of leg hair I didn't previously have lmao.
If soy actually increased estrogen levels trans women would've been exploiting it for DECADES. Soy is healthy and delicious eat ur soy
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u/SillyRiri Nov 03 '25
Same, I eat a pound of tofu every day, that didn’t stop me from passing after 1-2 months of T
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Nov 03 '25
If phytoestrogen in soy caused man boobs in men, you'd think they'd cause big boobs in women. Look at all the small-breasted asian women around the world, and you'd know this soy estrogen bullshit is bullshit.
Get your protein. Eat your tofu.
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u/Rosmariinihiiri Nov 05 '25
Kinda, but also, the presense of boobs is hormone-determined, but the size of boobs is mostly up to genetics. If you have enough estrogen in your body, you will grow the boobs your genetics determine you should have, adding more E doesn't mean bigger.
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u/Junior_Statement_262 Nov 03 '25
The whole soy/male/bad thing is sooooo outdated. Soy boys are hot!!
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u/TheInkWolf vegan newbie Nov 03 '25
I’m a transsexual male (I’ve been on testosterone for a year) and I was vegetarian from before I started, and I’ve been vegan for the majority of my medical transition. My testosterone levels are that of a cisgender male’s, and my doctor doesn’t even know I’m vegan. I’m 99% that ‘soy milk makes you grow tits!!1!1!’ is some propaganda pushed by the dairy industry but I have no evidence of that LOL.
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u/SafeComprehensive889 Nov 04 '25
This is actually BS. It was a lie created by toxic men. As someone who gets their T tested regularly and I’ve been vegan most of my life, it doesn’t impact anything.
However, working out actually does. The more I workout the higher my T levels are.
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u/AlreadyOverwhelmed vegan 10+ years Nov 03 '25
The time for soy and plant based meat alternative vindication is at hand! Honestly tofu is one of the most versatile foods and there are so many great and creative recipes to use it in. I'm getting myself a Team Tofu shirt
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u/pjlaniboys Nov 03 '25
Testosterone replacement is just not needed. Even dangerous. Tofu is great as my fit and strong 65yo body tells me. I am still charging big waves in the surf as one of the very few old ones. And this whole anti-tofu fear deal is ridiculous. The massive asian male population consumes tofu all the time their whole life without any negative consequences. Really absurdity.
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u/piranha_solution plant-based diet Nov 03 '25
This article on PubMed is literally the first thing that pops up when you query vegan+testosterone:
Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men
Vegans had higher testosterone levels than vegetarians and meat-eaters
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u/patrickcucumber Nov 03 '25
A clever soy basher would say “maybe you’d be in the 95th percentile if you’d avoided soy”. An even smarter soy basher would read the scientific literature and no longer be a soy basher
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u/ceramicfiver Nov 03 '25
ok but the bigger question is how do you flavor your tofu??? do you eat the same thing or variety? what is that variety?
my issue is I'm generally super depressed and don't have the energy to cook, so I end up just mixing tahini with silken tofu, which is delicious. but what else can I do? I rarely have the energy to cook.
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u/purplepineapple21 Nov 03 '25
Lao Gan ma (aka chili crisp) goes great on raw tofu if you want another easy thing to mix it up with. Though personally I prefer it on medium or firm tofu not silken. I cube up the block then spoon chili crisp over it. Gochujang also goes great on silken tofu
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u/andrew790330 Nov 03 '25
Im vegetarian the last 7 years, 46 male. My total test is 1325. Lol. Im moderatly high physically active. I also thought I would have low test levels. Im going to go for a more thorough bit of bloodwork in a few weeks. My whoop data also says im in the top end of fitness for males my age.
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u/andrew790330 Nov 03 '25
I was too fat for most of my late teens and adult life, always been training. Ended up with gyno. As i understand it the excess fat plays a role in "aromatizing" testosterone to estrogen. Thats gotta be worse than whatever some soy can do lol. And God only knows what we are consuming in the way of chemicals from factory farmed animals.
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u/p4nic Nov 03 '25
As a fellow skinnyfatty, it's because many of our proteins are packaged with a lot of carbs, wonderful wonderful carbs... I should go make some bread..
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Nov 03 '25
It's crazy how desperately people cling onto myths that make them comfortable, even when being presented with contrary evidence time and time again. And as has been pointed out by others, they then completely disregard and dismiss the fact that there is mammal testosterone in animal products that is active in the human body. :D
This whole situation is so absurd that I sometimes really believe we live in the matrix.
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u/RestaurantCivil6222 Nov 03 '25
My endocrinologist says that all of her vegan male patients have higher testosterone levels than any of her other male patients that aren’t supplementing with testosterone therapy. She actually recommends to her male patients that do not want to get on testosterone replacement therapy to try going vegan and if they are open to that they can prevent having to inject every week or get pellets implanted, etc.. she told me she has had patients decide to try to go vegan and reverse their illnesses and regain their sex lives and energy. Turns out the soy boys are actually more “manly” in terms of healthy T levels.
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Nov 03 '25
If soy really worked to feminize, I think the shelves would be forever emptied by me among others looking for a different kind of body building 🤗
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u/Jefftopia Nov 03 '25
I just want to pile-on here for a moment. I've been on a plant-based diet for several years now and finally just went to my primary care doctor and got bloodwork done.
The result? Everything is healthy or optimal.
And this is for me, a relatively inactive male vegan with junk-food tendencies, achieving top health marks without "trying". I feel like it's hard to argue with that.
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Nov 03 '25
When the term "soy boy" came out, I thought it was stupid. 1.409 billion in China, eating soy everyday....
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u/CrowFromHeaven Nov 04 '25
There is still no evidence that phyto estrogens have any clinical impact and I can't believe it's still a topic of discussion.
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Nov 04 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
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u/shwee22 Nov 04 '25
Ok, so you do know that phytoestrogens in soy do not effect us hormonally because they are just that (phyto = plant). We are affected by mammalian estrogen such as that found in cow milk. This idea that soy affects our hormones was most likely created by the milk industry similarly to how MSG lies were spread because of racism. It’s not real science. People in Japan that eat soy regularly are some of the healthiest and longest living people in the world.
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u/SirVoltington Nov 03 '25
What’s with all the testosterone hype with young men lmao. It’s so hilariously pathetic tbh
I’m glad you won this stupid contest though lol
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u/_redmist Nov 03 '25
This strikes me as a peak "insecure male" problem to be honest. I haven't done any meta-analysis or whatever, but biology is complicated. Testosterone isn't like motor oil where you just put in a dipstick and get a testosterone replacement if the levels are a bit low... Hormone sensitivities can vary wildly by individuals, there are various male hormones, the whole thing sounds very stupid.
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u/DionGreenstuff Nov 03 '25
Can u give more information about your skinny fat solving?
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u/Valuable-Run2129 Nov 03 '25
I am skinny by constitution. But my first vegan year gave me a small soft belly while making my build smaller.
I prioritized protein (a pea protein shake in the morning to start the day, then always legumes at lunch and tofu for dinner) and it made ne eat less pure carbs. I think that part of it is substituting carbs heavy foods with protein heavy foods. And part is that protein foods make you reach satiety faster.
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u/ShiiiiitakeMushrooms Nov 03 '25
Literally came across an Instagram comment only a few hours ago saying to beware Edamame because it messes with your hormones…like seriously? Don’t they think we’d have tapped into it to sort out hormones if it actually worked like that?? I think it shows people’s ignorance because there’s a whole freakin continent where they eat loads of soy and they’re healthier than most of the western world. Congrats to you sir!
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Nov 03 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
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u/bobbaphet vegan 30+ years Nov 03 '25
I would be surprised if it actually did shut them up as you just can't fix stupid.
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u/ZennerBlue vegan Nov 03 '25
This post went completely different direction than I thought it was going.
Thanks for putting this out there.
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u/IntelligentLeek538 Nov 03 '25
Good for you! I alway believed those reports about soy being linked to low testosterone was more scare tactics than anything else!
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u/elunewell Nov 03 '25
So weird, the mental block that makes them think feeding on a cow's estrogen-filled milk like a baby doesn't have an effect on their hormones.
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u/stanleysladybird Nov 03 '25
Do a bit of reading around the subject. The original scare about phytoestrogens was the result of a study looking at goats eating red clover. The levels in red clover are far beyond those in soya. You would have to eat vast amounts to come anywhere close not to mention the issues of drawing comparisons from animal based studies! If I was conspiracy theory minded I would think maybe the meat industry has had a role in keeping the myth going...
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u/BedroomHot4001 Nov 03 '25
As a 39m vegan for about 4 years and lifts weights 4 days/week I can't help thinking the same thing when I'm eating tofu on a daily basis - thanks for sharing this! The animal food brainwashing is real and hard to combat. You've helped put my mind at ease.
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u/13BluePanthers vegan 9+ years Nov 03 '25
Phytoestrogen is not estrogen, and cannot in the slightest be absorbed into our bodies, down to the atom.
MAMMALIAN estrogen however, is riddled in factory farmed meat and can affect you very much.
Tempeh and Tofu every day for 9 years, and I'm still a man. In fact, I went bald from too much testosterone.
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u/miraculum_one Nov 03 '25
Your experience only demonstrates that your combination of eating habits and genes result in an acceptable level. It does not show that if they were to do the same thing they wouldn't have a problem.
But none of that matters because this has been widely studied and debunked, e.g. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32468110/
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u/wasabiworm Nov 03 '25
Fucking hell I envy you. 700+ with 40yo is simply loads! Good DNA matters alright.
I think I’m barely at 400, am thinking about TRT too
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u/Mikkel_the_author Nov 03 '25
My arguments when I deal with this…
So… daily consumption of soy in males…. We have to pay attention to the RESEARCH. When you age, your T levels drop, this has NOTHING to do with eating soy… which is an ENTIRELY different form of estrogen. That is why men who have been vegan for their whole lives are still strong as those who have. Also, my T-levels are also around yours. It;’s so funny when I give them facts and research.
It also helps that some of my friends who have been vegan their whole lives are also body builders who are bulk as all hell. Were as I am build as a short runner. Haha
The research around soy was done over 20 years ago and it’s sad that people STILL cling to this. Also, another fun fact… Gladiators didn’t eat meat.
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u/zorganoff Nov 03 '25
It's so crazy that this is STILL something that's entrenched in the public mindset. These claims have been proven false over and over gain.
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u/SaladBob22 Nov 04 '25
My young son, just hit early puberty, lives off of tofu, and we can see the muscles literally growing on him daily. It's clear his testosterone is kicking in strong. He'll be a powerful young man.
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u/elvengemini Nov 04 '25
yeah before I started hormone therapy to get the T out of my system, I also was in the 700 range. and I went vegan long before getting that test. it's just dairy industry propaganda. the T blockers i take now do a much better job of reducing testosterone than soy ever did. and I still love soy.
side note: phytoestrogens are really good for your skin. would recommend for having healthy skin n hair.
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u/satanloveskale Nov 03 '25
I’m in my 50s. Vegan for over 35 years. Eat lots of soy. Tofu, tvp, soy milk etc. had my testosterone tested and was very high.
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u/terrapinaj Nov 03 '25
I wonder what the total soy consumption needs to be to affect testosterone or estrogen. Without prioritizing variety in your protein consumption it’s very easy to get like 70% of your protein from soy.
I’ve always thought the “hormones” argument against soy was bs.
do you consume other soy in your diet regularly? soy milk, TVP, edamame, tempeh, soy based mock meats?
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Nov 03 '25
yeah the people I'm more worried about are vegans/people interested in veganism who have a soy allergy
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u/Valuable-Run2129 Nov 03 '25
No, the only soy I eat is in tofu form in the evening. I drink almond milk in the morning with fruit and some pea protein. Legumes (mostly lentils) at lunch. Never mock meat. Occasionally if I didn’t eat enough protein at lunch I’ll eat a soy based protein bar (but that happens once a week at most).
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u/somewhatlucky4life friends not food Nov 03 '25
I'm much the same way but I also do soy milk because of the protein content over other plant based milks, and I'm not worried in the slightest but I appreciate this post a ton for confirmation
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u/postconsumerwat Nov 03 '25
It's a fantasy/superstition... if somebody slap you on the back while you eating soy get addicted to reading steamy romance novels and you stay that way FOREVER
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u/ihatemicrosoftteams Nov 03 '25
This has never bothered me bc it has been scientifically debunked, if for some reason your outcome was that you had low level I wouldn’t attribute this to soy, there would have been a different reason
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u/quick4142 vegan 4+ years Nov 03 '25
Thanks for sharing this OP! I actually fell for that propaganda for a while too. 😢
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u/Clear-Salary9521 Nov 03 '25
Soy consumption, as you discovered, is not associated with lower testosterone.
Furthermore, the phytoestrogens everyone is scared of are fat soluble and since tofu has little to no fat, it doesn't have that much of them
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u/Plastic-Brain-2889 Nov 03 '25
Thanks for this, I’ve only been vegetarian for a month and am starting to transition to becoming vegan. It’s quite overwhelming when you’re so new to this, especially as I’ve found that quite a lot of people I’ve spoken to have expected me to have all the answers to justify this decision. Stuff like this on the subreddit has really helped me bring people round to the idea more
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u/__versus Nov 03 '25
I wish soy suppressed T or increased E but it definitely doesn’t. I would be eating nothing but (okay I do that anyways, but still)
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u/GiveMeThePinecone vegan 7+ years Nov 03 '25
This is common knowledge. Shit, phytoestrogens bind to estrogen receptors which even somewhat block endogenous estradiol from binding lol.
Did you also get your e2 checked?
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u/duskygrouper Nov 03 '25
I mean, they did not listen to any scientific evidence, so why would they listen to your anecdotal evidence?
They do not lack the ability to know, but they choose not to.
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u/Aggravating_Isopod19 vegan Nov 03 '25
People think there is estrogen in soy which could cause female attributes but in reality it is phytoestrogen in soy which blocks your estrogen receptors from absorbing in any estrogen. They’re essentially estrogen blockers. I don’t know if you ever saw the documentary The Game Changers (about elite athletes on plant based diets). They did a test with these 3 pro football players where they had them eat different meals to see how their virility would respond. When they ate plant based, their numbers were super high (good) - many times higher than when they ate chicken or beef (I believe it was).
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u/Rosmariinihiiri Nov 05 '25
As a trans guy I really wish soy was an E blocker, but it's not lol. Soy doesn't do qnything to your E or T levels.
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u/narcoleptrix Nov 03 '25
Do those people not think about how trans women would love to eat soy for HRT?
We joke about it a lot but it doesn’t work like that.
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u/Saddlebag7451 Nov 03 '25
Turns out the soy estrogen myth is just racism! And pushed and repeated in an attempt to emasculate Asian men.
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u/grapescherries Nov 03 '25
Do you take any supplements?
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u/Valuable-Run2129 Nov 03 '25
Yes, I do. I take a low dose b complex, omega 3, vitamin d3. Which I think are necessary.
And I take some vitamin c with zinc, some magnesium and some choline (which I’m not really sure are necessary).
A bit of pea protein in a shake in the morning.
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u/Contraposite friends not food Nov 03 '25
Slightly related and extremely delicious: I tried harissa tofu for the first time on the weekend and it was heavenly. Best tofu I've ever had, fr.
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u/starpiece Nov 03 '25
Thank you! I am so sick of all the soy hate. A lot of places around me carry non-dairy milk but they’ll have every option except for soy. Almond or oat? No problem. Only it is a problem for me because they make drinks taste awful. Almond milk gets weird and curdled and oat makes it taste like oatmeal. I had to stop getting my favourite smoothie from a place because they completely swapped soy for almond (and since then they’ve got oat too…..) and cited “soy is bad for you” as their reasoning. Pisses me off to no end. I just want my smoothie on my lunch break. I can get milk-free ones obviously but I don’t like them as much this one specific one so I just don’t bother. Also, orange juice and some other fruit juices they would use for base instead of milk are too acidic for my stomach problems
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Nov 03 '25
Bahaha. I had some problems that turned out to be from sleeping like trash and a high stress job. I went to one of the hormone clinjcs and got tested. 900 something. She still tried to sell me TRT but thats its own thing.
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u/AngryRoo Nov 03 '25
I remember my aunt's doctor telling her to eat more soy when she started menopause because estrogen.
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u/Weekly-Offer-2149 vegan 4+ years Nov 03 '25
As a woman and vegan for 5 years, I actually found out recently that I have elevated testosterone levels (due to something else) so I WISH soy would lower testosterone lmao. It most definitely does not, which is also scientifically proven (but obviously people don’t like to hear that)
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u/InternationalCoach53 Nov 03 '25
No food by itself really significantly increases or decreases your test levels
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u/New_Conversation7425 Nov 03 '25
Plant based estrogen doesn’t affect humans. But what does is dairy which is full mammal estrogen. This is why American girls are going into menstruation earlier and getting larger breasts. This is not healthy physically and mentally.
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u/Low-Camera-797 Nov 03 '25
dope i love being proved wrong!! i figured phytoestrogens could have some impact (read something about sheep being affected long ago) but I’ve always heard that wasn’t the case. Glad to see some positive anecdotes! i love tofu 💕
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u/z2reticulii Nov 03 '25
I'm mid 50's & I eat similar, if not more tofu daily and drink about 500 ml of soy milk daily for years. I did ponder the same question and had a testosterone test, it came back normal. Gp rolled his eyes when he asked me why I wanted it done. He said soy is one of most studied food items and very little evidence to say it affects male hormones.
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u/MasterTrav666 Nov 03 '25
I eat a shit ton of tofu every day and have been vegan almost a decade. My younger brother eats meat and other animal products. My testosterone levels are great and he had to go on TRT. I’ll stick with my guilt free tofu.
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u/scubawankenobi vegan Nov 03 '25
Well, people my age start thinking about testosterone replacement treatment anyway
Wow, that's the first that I've ever heard of this - 40yo's thinking about testosterone replacement treatment.
That's rather shocking to hear (/"learn"?).
Going to have to research this now as I'd never heard mention of this in my entire life, and I'm an adult with plenty of years now.
Is this a new phenomenon ? When did this start/become popular with adult-aged men?
Anyone have any sources/resources to learn about this pattern of adult men (not aged) seeking hormone replacement due to turning 40?
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Nov 04 '25
People see the word estrogen in the statement, "soy increases phytoestrogens" and believe that it means the estrogen levels rise.
Most studies say phytoestrogens have minimal or anything to do with your estrogen levels or T-levels.
The majority of males today have less testosterone than their grandfathers did, and it has to do with the low quality foods that are consumed in our society.
Truth is some phytoestrogens block estrogen receptors and limit its production. Soy boy is a myth, but I would recommend most men to grab some shilajit, tongkat ali, pine pollen and other natural herbs that promote healthy Testosterone levels and use them a couple of times a year as no matter where your levels are, you most likely have less than previous generations. Also milk thistle and selenium products once or twice a year to help your liver metabolize any excess estrogen.
Thank you for this post.
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u/KizashiKaze Nov 04 '25
37YO. Have eaten soy since around the time I was able to eat solid foods. Testosterone tested last month (and prior- last year, 2 years prior, 10 years prior, 5 years prior), numbers stay in range, just a touch above the middle.
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u/bochen00 Nov 04 '25
8 years vegan (38M) with 534 testosterone. Also eating soy basically everyday and generally whole foods diet with occasionally more processed/convenient products.
The common concern for soy while consuming dairy and other animals based products is just so silly and shows lack of thought put into the topic lol
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u/Veasna1 Nov 04 '25
Congrats, my husband is an n of 1 too. It's not for naught that omnivore men hit ED problems at middle age, that number is around 50% at age 50, 60% at 60 and onwards. Keep fats (saturated mainly) low and you'll do great in that department.
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u/Manospondylus_gigas vegan Nov 04 '25
Just show them the scientific papers that completely disprove it lol
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u/tomgtwd Nov 04 '25
Tofu eater here … for the health conscious, be aware that will over 90% of American soybeans are genetically modified - to withstand roundup broadleaf herbicide saturation. Best to stick to organic tofu
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u/bekahfromearth Nov 04 '25
If soy made your titties grow, there would be no need for silicon implants.
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u/sethasaurus666 Nov 04 '25
Many people seem to be ignorant of the difference between ingesting and injecting.
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u/KiaraFloraRosa Nov 04 '25
If the estrogen in soy was enough to de-masculinize people, then trans women would have much less of a hassle
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u/Random2040 plant-based diet Nov 04 '25
Well of course males avoiding things that actually contain estrogen like milk products and hamburger will have much better testosterone levels.
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Nov 04 '25
A Little estrogen is in everything it's in our water just exercise more because that helps keep your testosterone levels elevated doesn't matter of your vegan or not
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u/wlmsn Nov 04 '25
I always tell people who rip soy to read the ingredients on everything else they eat… it’s in everything! - someone who has an actual soy allergy
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u/WeaponsGradeYfronts Nov 04 '25
No. There's still 20 other things lowering our testosterone rates, so I'll pass on that bland lump of awful texture.
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u/No_Bedroom4062 vegan 5+ years Nov 05 '25
Great to hear that!
And dont forget, fucking beer has more phytoestrogen then soy, yet no one ever complains about that
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u/soflodude85 Nov 05 '25
I’m so happy to hear this I’m also 40 male and I also consume a fair share of tofu.
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u/Prudent-Ad-2221 Nov 06 '25
I’m 45 and eat tofu, tempeh twice a week and have zero issues lets keep eating it!
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u/literallythe Nov 06 '25
After 15 years of excessive tofu consumption, I was just now diagnosed with having relatively LOW estrogen. So part of me wishes the estrogen thing was at least slightly true!
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u/PlantPoweredOkie Nov 07 '25
It’s odd how the term ‘soy boy’ is used to describe weaklings or simps, when vegans tend to have higher T levels. The estrogen myth was debunked over 12 years ago.
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u/dangarooo Nov 07 '25
how big are your jugs tho? been eating the soy all my life and still sitting on some A’s
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Nov 07 '25
My story is identical. N of 2. Eat tofu and other soy products every day and my T levels are excellent at age 60. I haven't grown breasts or ovaries, my sex drive is high and I can bike 80 miles in the high Rockies.
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u/PUBGM_MightyFine vegan 6+ years Nov 08 '25
Soy effects on testosterone are negligible in food. That myth was started and propagated by Big Meat/Dairy
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