Antimetastatic Effect of Soy Isoflavone, Genistein

Category: Diet and Nutrition , Dietary Supplements , Women's Health

Genistein is an isoflavone compound from soy protein that has phytoestrogenic activity. It has been shown to exert mild protective effects against hormone dependant cancers such as breast cancer. A recent study in an animal model shows further evidence for its effectiveness against breast cancer.

A study published in the March issue of Cancer Research measured the effects of genistein against metastasis of breast cancer cells after surgical removal of the primary tumor.

The preliminary study found that post-surgical supplementation with genistein reduced metastasis to the lungs 10-fold. The authors conclude that this is evidence that dietary intervention can affect outgrowth of seeded cancer cells in the body.

This research needs to be followed up with human studies, but does offer promise for decreasing the death rate due to secondary metastasis following successful removal of the primary tumor in breast cancer.

Posted by Kristopher Foster on June 26, 2013 11:00 AM