Soy milk vs cow milk

[SkinnyPupp]

I was at the grocery store today, and I noticed that soy milk (partially sweetened) has the same amount of protein and carbs as regular skim milk, but much less fat (and no saturated fat). On top of that, it is cheaper (I live in Hong Kong)

I was thinking of switching to soy milk, because I consume quite a bit of milk daily now. But I am concerned about the presence of phytoestrogens, which apparently act just like estrogen in humans... Obviously that would be a bad thing if you're a dude

So, has anyone come across studies or information regarding estrogen and soy milk? How much do you need to take before being concerned about such things? Am I being totally paranoid? I am working so hard to get rid of my man-tits, the last thing I want is gynecomastia

TIA! This is my first post here in over 5 years... Back then I was 185 lbs... Now I am...

[Mr. D]

Can you not get skim or fat free milk? Cows milk is a much higher quality protein than soy milk.

[SkinnyPupp]

Nope, local milk either homogenized or "slim milk" which is basically concentrated milk powder pre-mixed with water. It's expensive here too, which is why I was looking at alternatives.

I may be able to find imported skim milk, but it will be expensive as hell

[ShockBoxer]

I drink about a half liter of soymilk a day and have for about half a year.

No boobies yet.

[TheGimp]

Cows milk is a much higher quality protein than soy milk.

That's a bit of a stretch.

Soy milk offers a different amino acid profile, virtually no carbs and a much improved lipid profile in comparison to cow juice, and is generally low in isoflavones. You can find studies at PubMed that show moderate daily soy milk consumption has little to no impact on men's testosterone levels and there is some evidence that it actually decreases estrogen levels.

[bulletpr00f]

i've completely switched to soymilk not because I'm lactose intolerant but because its so much easier to digest. try the vanilla soy milk...actually tastes pretty good.

[gymnast]

That's a bit of a stretch.

Soy milk offers a different amino acid profile, virtually no carbs and a much improved lipid profile in comparison to cow juice, and is generally low in isoflavones. You can find studies at PubMed that show moderate daily soy milk consumption has little to no impact on men's testosterone levels and there is some evidence that it actually decreases estrogen levels.

:withstupi
If people are truly worried about phytoestrogens, they should stop consuming flaxseeds / flaxseed products (flaxseeds being a richer source of phytoestrogen than soy). But why stop there? Why not stop eating grains, beans and other plants?

[Mr. D]

I remem reading a med journal recently about cows milk vs soy milk. From a quick search, this is what i found:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...-SKIM-MILK.xml

[ddegroff]

http://www.wannabebigforums.com/show...&highlight=soy

This thread includes some good links about soy.

I think the verdict is still out. It seems there's research on both sides.

[TheGimp]

I remem reading a med journal recently about cows milk vs soy milk. From a quick search, this is what i found:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...-SKIM-MILK.xml

Here's a link to the paper: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/4/1031

It's an interesting read, they make the point that both cows milk and soy milk are virtually identical in terms of quality:

On the basis of our analysis of the amino acid content of the proteins, which showed that milk and soy proteins provide equal amounts of essential amino acids, it is unlikely that the differences in muscle protein synthesis and net protein balance seen in the present study are related to the amino acid content of the respective proteins. Alternatively, because of differences in digestion rates, milk proteins may provide a slower pattern of amino acid delivery to the muscle than soy protein.

Which makes you wonder whether the same effect can be achieved with fast digesting proteins such as whey or soy combined with other methods of slowing digestion such as consuming fibre or fat at the same time.