Soy Consumption and Breast Cancer

Cancer itself is an extremely complex process. There is not one type of supplement or food that will necessarily cause or cure cancer. Multiple factors, such as genetics, diet, lifestyle, exercise, stress, chemical and environmental exposure, etc. play a role in whether or not any given woman is going to actually developed breast cancer. In the opinion of this author the evidence presented from studies at this point in time does not justify recommending that breast cancer patients or women with breast cancer risk who enjoying soybeans as a part of their diet stop doing so, nor does it justify recommending that breast cancer patients or high risk women should begin consuming soy for the purpose of preventing cancer reoccurrence or increasing survival rates.

The overall evidence from the studies conducted also showed that supplements containing high levels of isoflavones (a constituent in soy) were the ones indicated in negative outcomes, while actually soybean products (tofu, soy milk, miso) were indicated in the studies with positive outcomes (Mense 2008, Pizorrno 2006). So if you are a women with a family history of breast cancer and are at high risk, you do not need to avoid soy in your diet, but it would be advised not to consumes large amount of supplements made from soy that have high isoflavone content. A little soy in your diet will not be harmful, as long as you keep the basic rule of life in consideration: Everything In Moderation.

The debate on soy consumption and breast cancer is still divided, and there are good standing arguments for both sides. Since soybeans have estrogen like properties (otherwise known as phytoestrogens), they naturally have become a concern to both practitioners and patients alike. A note of caution emerges from animal studies where offspring of genistein-fed (a constituent of soy that is a phytoestrogen) pregnant animals showed an increased risk of developing breast cancer in later life. Genistein appeared to have similar effects to estradiol (a type of estrogen) on the breast tissue and reproductive systems of the offspring (Mense 2008, Pizorrno 2006). On the other hand, studies showed that women who consumed higher amounts of soy products had reduced incidence of hormone-related cancers, including breast cancer.

These studies indicate that the incidence of breast cancer is much lower in Asian women, who consume significantly higher amounts of phytoestrogens than Western women (Adlercreutz 2000). Second- and third-generation descendants of the women who migrated to western countries from Asia have breast cancer risks similar to those of the women in the host country, suggesting that lifestyle and not genetic factors explain the low breast cancer risk observed in Asian women (Probst-Hensch 2000, Usui 2006). However, women in countries like Japan consume soy throughout their lives, which may have a very different effect than first consuming soy only after having been diagnosed with breast cancer. More research in this area remains to be done in order to come to a final conclusion on this debate (Pizorrno 2006).

References

Adlercreutz H. 2002. Phyto-oestrogens and cancer. Lancet Oncol 3(6):364-373.Mense, S M, Hei T K, Ganju R K, Bat, H K. Phytoestrogens and Breast Cancer prevention: Possible mechanism of Action. Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116(4):426-433.Pizzorno J E, Murray M T. Soy Isoflavones and Other Constituents. Text Book of Natural Medicine, Volume I. Missouri: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2006.Probst-Hensch NM, Pike MC, McKean-Cowdin R, Stanczyk FZ, Kolonel LN, Henderson BE. 2000. Ethnic differences in post-menopausal plasma estrogen levels: high oilstone levels in Japanese-American women despite low weight. Br J Cancer 82(11):1867-1870.Usui T. 2006. Pharmaceutical prospects of phytoestrogens. Endocr J 53(1):7-20.

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