Fact Check: Does Soy Milk Affect Your Estrogen Levels?

Soy is one of the best plant sources of protein. In fact, it's the only plant product that provides the body with all essential amino acids. Soy provides the base for a lot of plant-based foods. Among the popular ones is soy milk.

Soy milk is a great alternative for regular milk, especially for those following vegetarian or vegan diets, are lactose intolerant, or just prefer not to consume dairy.

The only downside that people consider is the rumours that drinking soy milk can affect your hormonal balance, especially if you're a woman. That can be attributed to the isoflavones present in soy milk.

Isoflavones are compounds found particularly in legumes or beans. They're phytochemical (i.e. found in or produced by plants) with a molecular structure similar to that of estrogen, the female sex hormone. Thus, they are called phytoestrogens.

Phytoestrogens are also found in other plant sources, such as wheat, rice, beans, garlic, parsley, apples, cherries, dates, etc. Soybeans are said to have the highest concentration of isoflavones. The isoflavones found in soy include genistein, daidzein and glycetein.

---

Does Soy Milk alter Estrogen Levels?

While it's evident that isoflavones can bind with estrogen receptors in the body, owing to their similar structures, that does not necessarily affect our hormone levels significantly.

Soy milk can prove to be helpful for certain masses of the female population. Studies have shown that consumption of soy milk among women displaying symptoms of menopause found a decrease in the effects of these symptoms, including irritability, fatigue and hot flashes.

Moreover, soy milk also helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, or the loss in bone mineral density, which is more evident among menopausal women.

Aside from its help with menopausal symptoms, soy is also considered helpful when it comes to lowering blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol. That helps improve heart function, reduce inflammation and improve skin health.

In fact, several studies have reported that individuals from Asian populations are generally healthier and free of disease than most of their Western counterparts. That can be attributed to the increased intake of soy products by Asian people.

While soy milk only mildly affects your estrogen levels, it causes no long-term effects.

The effects brought on by phytoestrogens in soy milk are far milder than that of the estrogen in our body. Soy supplements have more isoflavones than natural foods, so the effects are in fact almost negligible. Nevertheless, research suggests that phytoestrogens may not interact well with certain prescription medications, so be careful with supplementation.

---

Don’t be afraid of a glass of soy milk! It can do more good than harm. This is an option that is all-natural, rich in protein and other nutrients, and as such, has no adverse effects on the body. Only certain individuals would have to be wary of allergies or intolerance to this product. Go ahead, and pour yourself a glass.