Will children mature early if they drink soy milk?

Childhood is one of the important stages of a person's growth and development. For breakfast, many of us Chinese like to drink soy milk. Soy milk and fried dough sticks are a perfect match in many people’s childhood memories. Some people say that drinking soy milk regularly can cause children to suffer from precocious puberty. They say that soy milk contains substances such as soy isoflavones, which are estrogen, and sexual maturity is closely related to estrogen.

Will drinking soy milk cause premature puberty in babies?

Generally not.

The main reason for the claim that drinking soy milk can cause precocious puberty is that people believe that soy isoflavones exist in soybeans and have a structure similar to estrogen, which can cause precocious puberty in children. However, the content of soy isoflavones in soy milk is only 0.189‰, and the content is even less after dilution with water.

Besides, soy products contain estrogen-like "soy isoflavones", which are not the same as estrogen. This phytoestrogen is not estrogen. It is a different concept and substance from the estrogen in the human body.

They are called phytoestrogens simply because their structure is similar to estradiol in human estrogen and they have affinity with human estrogen receptors.

The content of this ingredient in soybeans is not high, and soy milk is made from a small amount of soybeans and a large amount of water. Generally, if children only consume about 100 ml of soy milk for breakfast, it is within the normal range and will not cause precocious puberty. Just don't drink soy milk frequently in large quantities or at high concentrations, and don't drink soy milk like water.

Phytoestrogens have little effect

The effect of phytoestrogens in the human body is minimal, only about one thousandth of estrogen. So far, very few children have suffered from precocious puberty due to drinking soy milk.

Moreover, the content of soy isoflavones in soy milk is extremely low, about 100ug/100ml. Drinking one cup of 200ml a day means only 200 micrograms.

The current recommended amount of soy isoflavones for infants and children is 25 mg per day.

Therefore, consuming soy milk in moderation will definitely not cause precocious puberty in children. If we look into the problems of many children with precocious puberty, we will find that most of them have problems with unreasonable diet, overnutrition, excess energy, and taking supplements indiscriminately.

Plant hormones do not produce hormone effects

Plant hormones enter plants and bind to specific molecules in cells, generating signals that start or delay gene expression in plants, thereby changing the development process of the plants.

These gene expression and plant development processes occur naturally as the plant grows; plant hormones simply change the timing and intensity of their occurrence. This change will not produce anything that the plant does not originally produce, so there will be no legendary "harmful substances".

Human sexual development is also the result of hormone secretion. However, there are no specific molecules in the human body that bind to plant hormones, so plant hormones cannot produce any signals to humans.

The principle is just like pollen is the sperm of plants. It can fertilize plants and grow seeds, but it cannot make women pregnant. Even in spring when flowers are everywhere and plant sperm is floating everywhere, women don't have to worry about getting pregnant by pollen. In other words, plant hormones have no hormonal effect on the human body at all.

How old can babies drink soy milk?

Regardless of whether they are experiencing precocious puberty, infants under one year old are generally not suitable to drink soy milk. Because the gastrointestinal function of infants is not fully developed, although soy milk contains rich nutrients, it is difficult for infants to digest. Therefore, it is best not to give soy milk to infants under one year old.

Infants over one year old can drink soy milk. Soy milk is rich in fat and protein needed by the human body. There are many benefits for children to drink it regularly, but they should also be prevented from drinking too much at one time to avoid protein allergy.

How to judge whether the baby has precocious puberty after drinking soy milk

If drinking too much soy milk really causes precocious puberty, it is peripheral precocious puberty. There is a way to test it. For children who are currently drinking soy milk, stop drinking soy milk for a period of time to see if the symptoms of precocious puberty will disappear. If they disappear, it can basically be determined.

If the symptoms of precocious puberty do not disappear after you stop drinking soy milk, then they are endogenous and not caused by drinking soy milk, and you need to be hospitalized for examination.

What are the symptoms of precocious puberty in babies?

1. Symptoms of precocious puberty in boys: mainly enlargement of the testicles and penis, the appearance of pubic hair, some beard and voice change, and the child grows faster than other children of the same age.

2. Symptoms of precocious puberty in girls: breast development, which may be tender, as well as development of external genitalia, increased vaginal secretions, and growth of pubic hair.