A study involving Asian-American women appearing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention suggests that eating soy regularly as kids may prevent women from developing breast cancer.

 

Besides the genetic predisposition to breast cancer that some women have, the disease has been recently linked to a poor diet, alcohol and lack of exercise. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Western Australia in Perth, released this month, noted that a diet rich in mushrooms and green tea may considerably lower the risk of developing breast cancer in women.

 

A previous study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute also showed that even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer, no matter the color of the wine, or the taste of it. And the study came after similar research showing that alcohol, consumed in moderate quantities is benefic for the heart, improves one’s social skills and not only.

 

Let’s not forget the multitude of studies showing the lack of physical activity is also linked to increased risk of breast cancer and many other life-threatening diseases.

 

The new study made by the US National Cancer Institute appears to underline previous research, namely that ingredients in our diet can influence the development of breast cancer in women. To be more specific, the researchers noted that women who consumed high amounts of soy during childhood seem to have reduced their breast cancer risk.

 

The study involved nearly 1,600 women of Chinese, Japanese and Filipino descent living in California and Hawaii: 597 with breast cancer and 966 healthy women. The mothers of these women were interviewed about their daughters’ soy consumption in childhood, when possible.

 

The study showed that high soy intake during childhood was linked to a 58 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, whereas high soy consumption during adolescence and adulthood was associated with a 20 to 25 percent reduced risk.

 

“This is the first study to evaluate childhood soy intake and subsequent breast cancer risk, and this one result is not enough for a public health recommendation. The findings need to be replicated through additional research,” senior researchers Dr. Regina G. Ziegler, of the US National Cancer Institute, said.

 

When trying to explain the association between soy and breast cancer, the researchers said it might be that the estrogen-like soy compounds called isoflavones may offer some breast cancer protection. These compounds are known to block the action of the hormone estrogen, promote the destruction of abnormal cells and reduce inflammation in the body.

 

“Soy isoflavones have estrogenic properties that may cause changes in breast tissue. Animal models suggest that ingestion of soy may result in earlier maturation of breast tissue and increased resistance to carcinogens,” said Dr. Larissa Korde, a staff clinician at the institute's Clinical Genetics Branch, who was also involved in the study.