Soy milk, soy beans and soy oil: as a woman with hormonal breast cancer you do not have to avoid soy products, says American Dr. Mark Messina of Loma Linda University. Although in the past it was questioned whether the plant hormone phytoestrogen in soy would induce hormonal breast cancer, Messina proclaims the opposite: “Soy actually has a protective effect.”
“Given the scientific data, I see no reason why women with breast cancer cannot or should not eat soy products,” said Messina of Loma Linda University (USA), during the seventh National Nutrition Congress in Arnhem. “There are no data available to suggest that soy induces breast cancer.” Messina was previously director of the Diet and Cancer Branch of the US National Cancer Institute (National Institutes of Health) and actively involved in a number of studies and analyzes on the health effects of soy products.
What does soy do?
Why the fuss about soy and women with breast cancer? In countries such as China and Japan, the risk of breast cancer is a quarter as high as in the United States. Why? It could be due to the soy-rich diet of Asians. There are also rumors that soy actually induces breast cancer.
It goes something like this: soy beans contain plant substances (isoflavones) that are very similar in chemical structure to the female sex hormone estrogen. These substances therefore bear the name of the vegetable form of estrogen, phytoestrogen. In the laboratory, this phytoestrogen can have the same effect as estrogen to a lesser extent under experimental conditions. That would be bad news for women with hormonal breast cancer.
Does soy stimulate breast cancer?
No, according to Messina. “Soy has a protective effect.” The American doctor cites a meta-analysis in which almost a thousand women, both from Asia and the West, were followed for years. The ladies ate no, a little or a portion of soy per day. Those who ate one portion per day appeared to have a greater chance of survival and therefore benefited from soy. Messina: “This analysis tells us that soy has no harmful effects for women who have breast cancer and are being treated for it.”
Does soy always protect health?
“There is little evidence that the risk of breast cancer decreases if you suddenly start eating soy products in adulthood. It is especially important between the ages of twenty and thirty. That is why I recommend that teenagers and people in their twenties eat one or two portions of soy-rich products every day.”
Soybeans or supplements?
“I have a strong preference for soy products. On the one hand, because unprocessed soy beans contain more isoflavones, the substances that have a protective effect, than in processed soy products. On the other hand, because soy is rich in proteins and unsaturated fats. This makes soy nutritious, making it easier to give up cookies and sweets and instead eat a healthier alternative.”
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2024-02-07 23:36:56
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