Soy and infertility

[purple_ivy]

Okay, so, as usual, I've gone through the tags and read all I can find about soy and whether or not it's as fabulous and some sources claim. I'm more reasured now than I was an hour ago, but I still feel like I need a little more. So, bare with me while I ramble on about what it is I'm wondering. I would have put this in my own journal, but almost

Comments

[the_dilettante]

adults who'd been fed soy infant formulas and that these people ... were found to be infertile or have trouble concieving

it's always worth remembering that correlation does not equal causation.
even if "soy formula in infancy" does correlate with "adult fertility problems", this doesn't even begin to provide evidence of a causal relationship. it could be that, for example, an unknown &/or unmeasured third factor is present, and that it causes both the soy consumption and the infertility. or it could just be a coincidence. but until someone proposes a verifiable mechanism for the effect, you have no evidence of a causal relationship, just speculation based on coincidence.
speculation based on coincidence may be a reason to be cautious -- how cautious depends on your personal tolerance for risk -- but it's not evidence of anything, and shouldn't be treated like it was.

so, i guess my 2-cents would be... you probably don't want to go on a soy-only diet, or anything, and it's probably safest to regard highly processed forms of soy with the same mistrust due to any equally refined foodstuff, but all of the alarmist hand-wringing is really just that: alarmist hand-wringing.

[purple_ivy]

Yeah, I came to the same conclusion after writing the post.
Thanks for your 2-cents, it's very much appreciated!

[amazing_angela]

you probably don't want to go on a soy-only diet

...just as people shouldn't go on a meat-only or anything else-only diet!

it's probably safest to regard highly processed forms of soy with the same mistrust due to any equally refined foodstuff

I couldn't agree more.