“I heard that tofu contains estrogen, so don’t eat too much, otherwise men will become mothers and women will get breast cancer, is that true?”

I received an interesting private message question in the background. The man was really silent, and the woman was in tears.

The Chinese Dietary Guidelines recommend that every adult eat 30-50g of soybeans per day, which is about 200g in tofu, but many people do not meet the standard! At present, the per capita intake of soybeans in my country is only 20 grams. In this case, don’t worry about the harmfulness of eating too much tofu!

1. Tofu is high in estrogen, will men become “mother” if they eat too much?

Estrogen is a steroid hormone that can promote the development of female secondary sexual characteristics and the maturation of sexual organs. It is secreted by the ovary and placenta and is widely distributed in target organs of the reproductive system, including the vulva, vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.

Of course, estrogen not only has the physiological role of promoting and maintaining female reproductive organs and secondary sexual characteristics, but also affects the endocrine system system, cardiovascular system, metabolic system, bones, skin, etc.It can be said that estrogen is of great significance to women.

Many people think that estrogen is “female-only,” but in fact, men also have estrogen. A small amount of estrogen is secreted in the male adrenal cortex, which is not a sign of “mother”. It’s just that steroid hormones in the body will be partially converted into estrogen under the action of aromatase, and A moderate amount of estrogen has a protective effect on men’s heart, reduces the risk of death from heart disease.

Does eating tofu often promote the secretion of male estrogen? ?

In response, Dai Xia, Director of the Department of Nutrition, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine< span>Introduction, soy isoflavones in tofu and estrogen in the human body are two different things. Although soy isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen, compared with the estrogen secreted by men, the estrogen contained in tofu is almost insignificant. Therefore, eating tofu will not make men “girly” due to excessive intake of soy isoflavones.

Second, tofu will make women get breast cancer?

There are rumors that excess estrogen can disrupt endocrine balance and increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer. Affected by the rumors, many women are discouraged from tofu.

Can eating tofu cause breast cancer? On the contrary, a 2009 “American Clinical Nutrition” study of more than 70,000 Chinese women found that women who consumed more soy products had a 40 percent lower incidence of breast cancer. %.

Actually, soy isoflavones act in both directions in our body, and are the regulators of human estrogen. It also binds to estrogen receptors, but its activity only accounts for 1/100-1/1000 of human estrogen.When human estrogen levels are low, it can properly compensate for estrogen. Hormone deficiency, but when the body’s estrogen levels are high, due to its lower activity, it actually reduces the body’s estrogen levels.

Third, tofu has high nutritional value, don’t misunderstand it!

There is a folk saying “cabbage and tofu keep safe”. It can be seen that tofu is rich in nutritional value, and regular consumption is beneficial to the body.

1. Rich in protein

Modern nutrition has confirmed that tofu is rich in protein, There are 15.7 grams of protein in every 100 grams of tofu. Regular consumption can supplement the body’s protein needs.

2. Rich in calcium

Every 100g of water tofu contains116 mg of calcium, two small pieces of tofu can basically meet half of the calcium needs of the human body.

3. Friendly to patients with cardiovascular disease

Fat contained in tofu< /span>78% are unsaturated fatty acids and contain no cholesterol, so many people who eat light food will call tofu “plant meat”.

4. Easy to digest

Tofu is a semi-liquid food and is very easy to digest. Human digestibility is as high as 95%.

Four. Final reminder: eat less of 3 kinds of tofu

Tofu is good, but some foods that are advertised as “tofu” are not real soy products, and eating more is not good for health.

1. Fish tofu

Fish tofu, the name is very healthy. However, there may be only a small amount of soybeans in the ingredients, more is the fish paste whose source and quality are difficult to ensure. In order to improve the taste, fish tofu often contains a lot of sugar, oil, salt, starch, etc., the calories go up, but the nutrition cannot be satisfied.

2. Almond tofu

Almond tofu is one of the desserts that many people like , although there is “tofu” after the name, there is no soybean in it, mainly almonds, sugar, milk and other products, in order to enrich the taste, Coconut oil, etc. may also be added. Excessive intake can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, so regular consumption is not recommended.

3, Japanese tofu

Japanese tofu is smooth and tender, Q-bounce, is a lot One of the family’s favorite ingredients. But looking at its ingredients, you will find that the main ingredients are water, eggs, salt, etc. There is no soy in the raw materials. Compared with Chinese traditional tofu, traditional tofu is ground soybeans into soy milk and “spotted” with salt, which retains the protein and calcium in the beans, while Japanese tofu is due to the More water, with very little calcium content, basically unable to meet calcium needs.

According to the dietary guidelines, the daily intake of soy foods should account for 30— 50g, so eating some tofu in moderation will not become a mother, nor will it cause cancer, but it will have a positive impact on the body. So, to be healthy, eat tofu!

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