Does soy cause breast cancer?
There has been some recent debate about whether soy—particularly a chemical called isoflavone within soy—can increase the risk of breast cancer.
According to the Los Angeles Times, even though two studies in premenopausal women suggested that soy may increase breast tissue density by acting like estrogen, this has more recently been found not to be the case.
The conclusion comes from a large study compiling data from more than 18,000 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer; an average of nine years after diagnosis, no statistical difference was seen between groups of women who ate a lot of soy and those who ate very little, both with regard to either recurrence of the cancers or death.
So what’s the bottom line? The National Center for Biotechnology Information tells us, “Overall, the data are not impressive that the adult consumption of soy affects the risk of developing breast cancer or that soy consumption affects the survival of breast cancer patients. Consequently, if breast cancer patients enjoy soy products, it seems reasonable for them to continue to use them.”
In addition to not causing cancer, BreastCancer.org states that soybeans are the most widely used, least expensive, and least caloric way to get large amounts of protein with very little fat and no cholesterol. Not to mention that there are several healthful phytochemicals in soy. Protein kinase inhibitors help keep cell growth and activity normal. Phytosterols and saponins help regulate cholesterol. Phenolic acid and phytates are antioxidants.
So there you have it, all you vegetarians out there are still safe! Soy does not appear to cause breast cancer and may offer several other health benefits in the form of dietary protein and phytochemicals.
Sources:
The National Center for Biotechnology Information
BreastCancer.org
The Los Angeles Times
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