According to a report presented at the American Association of Cancer Research a diet rich in soy during childhood may help to prevent breast cancer.
The study, conducted in Hawaii in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute analyzed dietary habits of more than 1500 women of Asian descent with respect to soy intake during their childhood. About 2/5 of the women had been diagnosed with breast cancer, while the others were cancer free.
The researchers found that women who ate high amounts of soy based foods between the ages of 5-11 were less likely to develop breast cancer later in life. The overall risk was reduced by 58 percent when compared to women who never ate soy during childhood.
The analysis included a variety of soy foods including miso, tofu, soy sauce, and edamame. Soy contains isoflavones which are a known phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens are bind weakly to estrogen receptors in women's bodies and are thought to help regulate the signals recieved from estrogen.
The researchers were interested to find that timing of soy intake during development was specific. This may or may not suggest some key process that is occuring during development that soy helps modify. More studies are needed to determine how soy interacts with the body during this time.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on December 12, 2006 02:58 PM
