AACR: Soy Appears Safe for Breast Cancer Survivors

Study finds soy isoflavone intake does not increase cancer recurrence or mortality

WEDNESDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of food containing soy isoflavones does not appear to increase the risk of cancer recurrence or mortality among breast cancer survivors, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held April 2 to 6 in Orlando, Fla.

Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues assessed soy isoflavone consumption among 16,048 women with invasive breast cancer an average of 13 months after diagnosis using food frequency questionnaires for a group of soy isoflavones in three cohorts and on tofu and soy milk consumption in one cohort.

Although the findings were not statistically significant, breast cancer survivors who consumed more than 23 mg per day of soy isoflavones experienced a 9 percent reduced risk of mortality and a 15 percent reduced risk for recurrence compared to those who consumed no more than 0.48 mg per day of soy isoflavones.

"Our results indicate it may be beneficial for women to include soy food as part of a healthy diet, even if they have had breast cancer," Shu said in a statement. "This can't be directly generalized to soy supplements, however, as supplements may differ from soy foods in both the type and amount of isoflavones."

Abstract No. 4665
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