It's not. Plant estrogens have a similar structure to human estrogen, but do not work the same in the human body. You can tell this is true because otherwise trans women would be downing soy milk like there was no tomorrow.

[–] BakerBagel@midwest.social 22 points 5 months ago

You know what is pack full of estrogen-estrogen? Cow milk and other dairy produt.

[–] FozzyOsbourne@lemm.ee 11 points 5 months ago

otherwise trans women would be downing soy milk like there was no tomorrow

This is the classic counter-argument to so many superstitions and conspiracy theories. Storms are punishment from God for your homosexuality? Oh great, let's organise a big gay orgy everywhere there's a drought! Crystals can heal you and ghosts can tell you secrets from beyond the grave? Brilliant, every military and intelligence agency is going to invest heavily changing warfare and espionage immediately!

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml 9 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Isn't estradiol made from yams? Like you can't just eat plants for their hormones even if you physically could eat enough the hormones still need processed to be noticably effective on humans, but plants are still a viable source

[–] huginn@feddit.it 30 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's not extracted as-is from yams. Yams have diosgenin - which needs to be extracted, cleaned and then put through a few chemical processes to be useful.

Plants are viable sources of precursors not of the end result, and many of these precursors aren't useful in biological processes.

Scientific studies have not shown Men to have substantial estrogen level changes from drinking soy.

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 months ago

That's why I mentioned it needs processed. Didn't know the word precursors but yeah we're talking the same thing

[–] feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

So is testosterone, in terms of its chemical precursor.

[–] InfiniWheel@lemmy.one 11 points 5 months ago

IIRC beer has more estrogen than soy.

[–] volvoxvsmarla@lemm.ee 1 points 5 months ago

It's been a while since I graduated but I think it was something like that: there is a molecule in soy that can be metabolized and then binds to estrogen receptors. However, there are two different receptors that, when activated, will have different signaling cascades and effects. That soy molecule binds to one of them. But only about 50% of people (I think the study was done in menopausal women) metabolize that molecule to the active, estrogen-receptor binding molecule. The others don't and soy has absolutely no effect on them. For those who do metabolize it, it can have an effect on some estrogen-regulated pathways, but it is not "estrogen" and cannot substitute it.