Statistic
No effect
Soy does not lower men's testosterone
A meta-analysis pooling dozens of clinical trials concluded that neither soy nor isoflavones affect male reproductive hormones, including testosterone — directly contradicting the "soyboy" claim at the centre of the manosphere's testosterone panic.
The finding
Pooling dozens of clinical trials, the definitive meta-analysis found no effect of soy on male hormones — its title states the result outright. [1]
Neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormones.
What it does and doesn't establish
A real, documented population-level decline in men's testosterone exists — but its cause is unresolved, and the "soyboy" mechanism at the centre of the meme is refuted by the trials that tested it. Full context: is testosterone collapsing?
Sources
1 source · all archived at publication
- [1]Neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormones: An expanded and updated meta-analysis of clinical studies · Reproductive Toxicology · 2021-03-01 archived ↗
By The Fieldnote Desk · How we verify · Corrections