Soy Foods and Cancer Prevention

The jury is still out on whether eating soy foods can prevent breast and prostate cancers, but the research is encouraging, particularly for women.

Q: Can soy foods prevent breast or prostate cancer?
A: The jury is still out on that one, but the research is promising, particularly for women. Soy foods contain compounds called phytoestrogens, which are akin to very weak forms of estrogen. When eaten in foods (as opposed to supplements), the anti-cancer results are subtle, but still potentially significant. Phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors in the breasts and other tissue and in some ways provide a kinder, gentler substitute for natural, ovary-produced estrogen. Since high lifetime exposure to estrogen is a risk factor for breast cancer, some scientists hypothesize that phytoestrogens protect against cancer growth by blocking natural estrogen and reducing total exposure to the hormone. In Asian women, who consume far more soy than American women do, a diet rich in soy foods has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer and cancer recurrence. Current research indicates that soy may offer more cancer protection when it’s consumed earlier in life, during

What Affects Cancer?

Our best defense against cancer is prevention: keeping ourselves as healthy as possible and eating foods that have been shown to help protect our bodies.

Cancer prevention is the holy grail of medical research. Students in medical school dream of finding a cure, scientists hope their work will provide the foundation for the one true end of this disease, and patients and family members pray for a future without cancer. Until that grand discovery, we will have to count on the wisdom of our bodies. Healthy immune systems work hard to spot and eliminate cancerous cellular mutations before the disease can begin its wild, uncontrolled growth. Prevention, then, is all about keeping ourselves as healthy as possible and eating the kinds of foods that have been shown to help protect us — right down to our cells.

How Food Affects Cancer

Eating for cancer prevention depends on knowing which foods can damage body cells and which foods can protect cells from damage.

I’ve heard people say that they believe cancer is unavoidable It’s true that we inherit a tendency to develop certain cancers, but scientists estimate that only about 5 percent of all cancers have a genetic origin. On the other hand, about 35 percent of cancers are related to nutritional factors. (To fill in the numbers, about 30 percent of cancers are thought to be related to tobacco use, and the remaining 30 percent are attributed to all remaining factors, including bacterial and viral infections, pollution, radiation, and occupational hazards.) Some foods can damage body cells, setting them up for precancerous changes, while other foods protect cells from damage. Cancer prevention depends on knowing the difference.

Best Foods for Cancer Prevention

Grapefruit
Vitamin C — an antioxidant found in many fruits and vegetables such as grapefruit, oranges, bell peppers, and broccoli — helps to prevent the formation of cancer-causing nitrogen compounds. Diets high in vitamin C have been linked to a reduced risk of cancers of the stomach, colon, esophagus, bladder, breast, and cervix. These results are specific to vitamin C-rich foods, rather than supplements, which seem less reliable. So be sure to pile fruits and veggies on your plate – they're excellent for your body in so many ways!







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