Soya products linked to low sperm count

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Too much tofu may affect a man's fertility, according to a study reported in the Independent. Scientists found that even modest consumption of Soya products, such as meat and dairy substitutes and bean curd, can have a significant impact on sperm count.

Men who ate an average of half a serving of Soya food a day had lower concentrations of sperm than those who did not. Sperm count ranges between 80 and 120 million sperm per millilitre of semen for normal healthy men. But researchers in the US found that among the men they studied, those with the highest Soya intake produced much less sperm. On average their counts were 41 million/ml lower than those of men who did not consume Soya products.

"Men in the highest intake group had a mean soy food intake of half a serving per day: in terms of their isoflavone content, that is comparable to having one cup of soy milk or one serving of tofu, tempeh or soy burgers every other day," said Dr Chavarro.

More on this story can be found on the Independent.