Reducing breast cancer: it's not just the soy

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Apr 6th 2006 @ 3:36PM

Women have been hearing for a while now that compounds called called isoflavones may block estrogens, promote the destruction of faulty cells, fight inflammation, and overall, reduce the risk of breast cancer. With this association, women were running out to the drug store to buy soy supplements.

However, researchers at Johns Hopkins have said that they don't know what soy supplements do, and that they now believe that the reduction in risk of breast cancer comes not from the soy itself, but from the health habits that go along with eating soy, like eating tofu and drinking soy milk.

Claims about soy's influence on breast cancer have been based on studies of Asian women, who have a lower incidence of the disease. However, Asian women's entire diet is different from Western women. They are also more physically active and drink less alcohol. These are all associated with reduced risk of breast cancer.

Source

Filed Under: Science, Ingredients
Tags: america, breast cancer, BreastCancer, cancer, cancer prevention, food, isoflavones, soy, soy protein, tofu, vegetables