Soybeans should be stopped before pregnancy

British reproductive health experts recommend that women who are about to get pregnant should not eat a lot of soy-based foods.

After conducting research on humans, scientists discovered a compound in soybeans called genistein that will kill sperm before they can be combined with eggs .

Lynn Fraser, female professor
(Photo: kcl.ac)

Professor Lynn Fraser, of King's College London, said only a small amount of this substance was enough to kill the sperm.

In her speech at the European Society for Reproductive Health, Lynn said, women should avoid eating soy-containing foods to make conception more convenient.

Genistein is found in all soy products such as soy milk, vegetarian foods and some other foods.

In his experiment Fraser tested the effect of genistein compound on sperm when they were exposed to each other in a dish.

This compound triggers a reaction to most sperm that make them capable of fertilizing eggs.

However, in fact this phenomenon usually only occurs when sperm has been in the female body for many hours and is preparing to combine with eggs.

Because of this reason, if genistein appears in a woman's uterus, the sperm will be weakened too soon before fertilizing the egg. This also means that the process of conception will not be possible.

Professor Fraser found that the amount of genistein needed to cause this reaction was much lower in humans than in mice. She said: "We are surprised that it is not surprising that sperm in humans are more responsive to genistein than in mice. Until now we have not been able to determine exactly how much soybeans women can use To ensure safety, it is best that they stop using these products for a few days during the pregnancy period. "

In soybeans called genistein, it will kill sperm before they can be combined with eggs. (Photo: uky.edu) In a previous mouse experiment, Fraser discovered a number of compounds similar to genistein in some hub products like beer, which also affect sperm. with the same method.

These compounds are weak estrogenic substances but according to the professor, their effect on sperm is not the same as that of female sex hormones, but instead genistein seems to stimulate the production of a type. signaling molecule in sperm named AMP.

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield, said: "Although these are only preliminary tests, if what happens in the lab also occurs in the fallopian tubes. When the sperm is preparing to fertilize, the risk of this process is too great. "

A spokesman for the Vegetarian Association also expressed his views: "For women who are about to become pregnant, stopping using soy products for a few days is a good idea. It is true that most vegetarians use these products in their meals but there are many other substitutes for them so there will definitely be no problem. "