I don't know how much tofu ingestion is required to produce a noticeable effect (such as gynecomastia), but I assume it would have to be a major dietary component. In Asian countries, soybean consumption is much higher than typical in the US, so perhaps more likely to be an issue there. Might be worth a literature search on the subject, but I haven't done that, so I don't know if it's been verified.

"M.M. regularly consults for companies that manufacture and/or sell soyfoods and/or isoflavone supplements, and he is the executive director of the Soy Nutrition Institute[0], a science-based organization that is funded in part by the soy industry and the United Soybean Board."[1]

More people would trust science if more scientists were not whores.

[0] https://thesoynutritioninstitute.com/author/dr-mark-messina/ [1] https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(10)00368-7/full...

Most asians become lactose intolerant after infancy. Many western europeans don't. Just because the Chinese can handle soy like champs doesn't mean everyone else can.

Analyses that don't cherry pick tend to conclude it's pretty safe.

For anyone down voting, an open question in the paper is “do Asians have factors that might mitigate the phytoestrogens?” They don’t know.

As to evidence that levels are dropping, https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/hormone-therapy/news/pr...