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Soy Foods and Cancer

December 20, 2018 By Julie Lanford MPH, RD, CSO, LDN

Soy Foods and Cancer:

Soy foods and cancer is a hot topic. I got a lot of response from readers, listeners and clients on this topic!

HERE’S A PRINTABLE HANDOUT ON SOY AND BREAST CANCER!

The Facts About Soy and Hormones:

Most of the controversy over soy and cancer has to do with the fact that soy is one of the best sources of isoflavones, phytochemicals classified as phytoestrogens. A phytoestrogen is a plant chemical with a similar shape to estrogen, therefore allowing it to bind to estrogen receptors in the body.

This binding ability is why many people have heard that soy is bad for breast cancer, especially the type of breast cancer that grows in response to hormones. The truth is that no studies have proven that phytoestrogens cause cancer to grow; so far it is a theory.

The other side of the story is that many people think that a “balance” of hormones in the body is necessary for good health and therefore eating plant hormones can help “balance” and promote good hormones. There is no evidence for this theory other than most studies suggest a plant based diet is important for reducing risk of cancer.

What’s the Bottom Line?

When it comes to soy and cancer, there will always be people arguing on both sides of the issue. My take is that most plant foods have been proven beneficial to the body, including soy. Soy has been studied extensively in heart disease and is shown to benefit the heart.

What is most important with soy intake is that you get food forms of soy as opposed to processed pills and powders. Even for hormone receptor positive breast cancers, the most conservative medical professional would say that 3-4 servings per week is fine (FYI, a serving is 1 cup of soy milk or 1/2 cup soy beans or tofu).

Personally, I’m comfortable recommending up to 2 servings per day for hormone positive breast cancer survivors. The most important thing is to stay away from the soy powders (shakes, soy chips, soy breads, soy bars or soy supplements). The concentration of isoflavones is very high in these products and you’re also missing the other beneficial nutrients that come with whole soy.

More questions on this issue? Post a comment and I’ll be happy to respond.

– Julie

 

Cancer Dietitian Podcast Episode 1 - Does Sugar Feed Cancer?
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Filed Under: Cancer Diets, Cancer Prevention, Hot Topics

This post may contain affiliate links for products I recommend. This means if you click on a link and purchase a product, Cancer Services, Inc. will receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. We use these proceeds to support cancer patient direct services and community education in the Triad area of North Carolina. For more information, view our disclosure policy.

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    January 4, 2019 at 10:17 am

    Is Silk soy yogurt ok?

  2. Dieta says

    April 5, 2019 at 10:06 pm

    Amazing article!

  3. Sarah says

    April 16, 2019 at 11:38 am

    For ER+ breast pre cancer ( LCIS/DCIS) would you say to avoid foods high in ligans? Such as flax and soy? What about adaptageons like ashwaganda?

  4. Victoria says

    June 9, 2019 at 3:37 pm

    What about flax seed and sesame, which have much higher levels of phytoestrogens than soy? My oncologist said tofu 1x week is fine but absolutely no flax seed for now, and never supplements.

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