Should I Not be Drinking Soy Milk?

[TheQuestion]

So, I'm sort of obsessed with chocolate soy milk these days, but I've heard that women shouldn't drink it much as it could promote breast cancer or something.  So when I start HRT, should I switch to almond milk?  Or would it be beneficial to be drinking soy milk?

[Leila]

If you are hoping to start HRT, then you'd probably want to ease off on drinking too much of it. Soy contains phyto-estrogens which could compete with the estradiol for estrogen receptors in your body when you start taking it and thus may hamper your progress.

If you buy into the whole not eating GMO argument, then you may want to consider that a sizeable amount of the world's soy is genetically modified to be Roundup tolerant and thus drenched in Roundup in order to kill off competing weeds.

[TheQuestion]

Yeah, I knew it mimicked estrogen, but I didn't really think of receptors being used as a result.  That makes sense.  Looks like I won't be drinking soy milk for a few years.  I'm just going to switch to almond milk; and I was drinking only organic soy milk, so hopefully I was avoiding all the negative modifications.  Thanks, this is good to know considering I'll probably be on hrt really soon...

[LJP]

Very useful info. I was wondering about this.

[Hikari]

I drink a glass every day or two, it hasn't effected my HRT as best I can tell. I do worry about the receptors being used up for weak phytoestrogens which have little effect, but I do not think I should just avoid soy totally after all, I am lactose intolerant.

[Leila]

I drink a glass every day or two, it hasn't effected my HRT as best I can tell. I do worry about the receptors being used up for weak phytoestrogens which have little effect, but I do not think I should just avoid soy totally after all, I am lactose intolerant.

It all does depend on how much phyto-estrogens there are per glass (probably not much I suspect), how many receptors are in your body and ultimately if you care that this increase in phyto-estrogens will have a negative effect on your transitioning. If not, then carry on as before, and if results are seemingly lacklustre then perhaps ease off on drinking too much of it or cutting it out altogether.

As a solution to avoiding soy milk, we have lactose free milk in this country, is that available where you live or are you not able to tolerate that either? Alternatively there's nut milks like almond milk instead you could try, if you're not allergic to nuts.

[Eris]

I am lactose intolerant.

You go into fields and punch grazing cattle?

[Hikari]

As a solution to avoiding soy milk, we have lactose free milk in this country, is that available where you live or are you not able to tolerate that either? Alternatively there's nut milks like almond milk instead you could try, if you're not allergic to nuts.

This is true of food at home, there is almond milk, rice milk, and lactaid. The issue becomes when I go to a coffee shop or a tea house, or I go to a restaurant and ask them to sub dairy milk. In most of these circumstances soy will be the only alternative available. I do prefer soy to the other milk substitutes in taste, but if it were available at my local coffee shops, I would probably use almond milk. Rice milk is okay too, I am not a fan of Lactaid lactose free milk.

You go into fields and punch grazing cattle?

When I have a few glasses of Pinot Grigio just about anything could happen.....

[Julia-Madrid]

I think that soy milk is probably negligibly low on phytoestrogens - there are many (unrecommended!) phytoestrogen derivatives that really do have an effect.

I can echo others - I take a little soy milk most days with my cereal, and it's does not seem to be affecting my development.  In any event, the way you receive your estrogen probably also contributes.

Probably high levels of soy milk might not be so good due to their sugar and salt content, if anything.

[Eris]

When I have a few glasses of Pinot Grigio just about anything could happen.....

I wouldn't try that in Scotland, they look kinda cute.

[Dee Marshall]

I don't drink soy milk. I like it but I have a strange reaction. Even the amount I would use in coffee makes me feel stoned. I wonder if that has to do with the phytoestrogens binding to my poor, starved estrogen receptors. Perhaps an experiment is in order before I start HRT.

[VeryGnawty]

I doubt soy milk is particularly problematic.  But, almond milk might be healthier.