Wednesday, January 18, 2006

 
Soy isoflavones may not raise markers for breast cancer in postmenopausal women and could protect them against the disease, suggests a new animal study published in the Jan. 15 issue of the journal "Cancer Research."

In the study, Charles Wood and colleagues from Wake Forest Univ. Baptist Medical Center gave eight different diets to 31 postmenopausal cynomolgus monkeys to see the effect of soy isoflavones on breast cancer risk.

The diets varied with soy isoflavones and estrogen. Isoflavones were used in different amounts: 0 mg, 60 mg (comparable to a typical Asian diet), 120 mg, and 240 mg isoflavones.

Estrogen was used at either a low or high level.

Researchers found isoflavones did not affect breast cancer markers in those receiving diets with low estrogen. Those receiving diets with zero or low isoflavones were more likely to have increased breast cell proliferation, a breast cancer marker.

For those using diets with high levels of estrogen and isoflavones, the effect of estrogen was blocked by the isoflavones.

The findings suggest that women at high risk of estrogen-dependent breast cancer may benefit from a diet rich in soy isoflavones.

Continued at foodconsumer.org

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