Patients with uterine fibroids are often told not to drink soybean milk or eat tofu, even some doctors will say so. What about the mammary gland? Even more so. The reason is that there is "estrogen" in soybean milk!

I can't understand why we can't drink or eat soybean milk and tofu after drinking more than 2000 years!

Soybean milk is one of the four king kong for breakfast in Shanghai, and it is also Engel's favorite drink. He drinks two large cups every day.

Does soybean milk contain "estrogen"?

Yes, there are "phytoestrogens" in soybean milk and other soybean products, which are easily misunderstood as estrogen!

The truth is: although plant estrogen and animal estrogen have similar structures, they are two different things, and their effects and functions are also different! Therefore, soybean milk tofu can not improve your estrogen level. Otherwise, if Enge drinks two large cups every morning, he will already be protruding and curling up.

In addition to soybean milk tofu, all kinds of beans, bean flour, Fermented bean curd and bean products are rich in phytoestrogens. These are all things that we Chinese people often eat.

The most common types of phytoestrogens are isoflavones, including genistein, daidzein and their metabolites, as well as resveratrol in wine.

Phytoestrogens also bind to estrogen receptors in the human body. If estrogen is already sufficient in the body and occupies the estrogen receptors, isoflavones cannot play a role; If there is not enough estrogen in the body and there are still many estrogen receptors available, isoflavones can bind to receptors and exert weak estrogen effects, which is approximately less than one tenth of the true estrogen effect. This is the "biphasic" mechanism of action of phytoestrogens.

Oh my goodness, that's just amazing!

Whenever we talk about the effects or side effects without considering the dosage, we are playing hooligans. Let's take a look. Eating 1-2mg of estrogen per day in the human body is a physiological dose and does not have any additional side effects. If you drink soybean milk instead, how much will it take to have a similar effect?

The normal concentration of soybean milk contains about 10mg isoflavone per 100ml. To play the role of 1mg estrogen, we need to drink 100000ml every day, about 10 liters. Can you give it a try?

Can soy products stimulate uterine fibroids?

The specific mechanism of uterine fibroids is not yet clear, probably related to excessive estrogen. Therefore, most of the time, doctors will also tell not to eat more estrogen, and soybean milk tofu is innocent.

Not only does the mechanism make sense, but existing clinical studies also suggest that soy products do not increase the incidence and recurrence rate of uterine fibroids. However, in cell research, it has been shown that isoflavones may promote cell apoptosis in uterine fibroids.

Does soy products increase breast cancer?

It has been reported that a 60 year old man abroad drank 3.77 liters of soybean milk every day, and finally developed his own breasts

However, girls should never try, it's just that the case has not been verified, and its effectiveness cannot be guaranteed.

In East Asian countries such as China and Japan, there are more bean products in their daily diet than in Western countries. Most epidemiological studies show that the incidence rate of breast cancer in East Asian people is lower than that in Caucasians, which may be related to bean products. Clinical research has also confirmed this, phytoestrogen can reduce the risk of breast cancer to a certain extent. The systematic review published by PLoS One in 2014 showed that eating more soy products can reduce the risk of breast cancer by nearly 40%. For those who have suffered from breast cancer, phytoestrogen can also slightly reduce the risk of recurrence and mortality.

Of course, we can't treat breast cancer by drinking soybean milk and eating tofu, but don't believe that "you can't drink soybean milk"!

It also does not affect the endometrium

In a clinical study of over 1600 people in Shanghai, women who regularly consumed soy products had a lower risk of developing endometrial cancer. Most other clinical studies also support that phytoestrogens do not increase the risk of endometrial cancer.

Do you have any side effects?

There are some, such as indigestion, bloating, and farting after eating too much. However, a systematic review summarizing over 9000 cases confirmed that phytoestrogens do not increase the proportion of side effects compared to other drugs.

In short, as the saying goes, talking about side effects regardless of dosage is just playing hoodlum. Drink soybean milk if you like, and eat tofu if you like!