Is Soy safe?

Question

Do you think soy is safe? I've read several articles that says it's "unclear," whether or not it increases the risk of breast cancer. Most websites say that it might be safe for premenopausal women, but not postmenopausal women.

http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/vn/soy_breast_cancer.php

OK, just to clear things up, the choice isn't between eating soy or eating pig. It is between eating soy or not eating soy. I am a vegan either way. I just want to know if I should think about giving up tofu.

Answer 1

Well, just to throw a wrench in your research. . .

It's not really Soy that triggers cancer or not--in either pre-menopausal or post women.

It's IF you HAVE ER+ breast cancer you should AVOID soy as it's known to be a "natural estrogen" and ER+ cancer "feeds" on estrogen for lack of a better term. . . many of us eat SOME of it, but avoid soy powders, soy lethicin and anything where the good stuff has been taken out. . . .

So I'd stay with healthy eating plan. So far there's not any good research about ANY type of food triggering cancer. Sounds like you're on the right track.

Best wishes.

Answer 2

That is rather debated.
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that there's basically 2 schools of thought on the matter.
In both cases, the concern is about hormonally driven cancers.. estrogen being the hormone in question.
First, I'd like to mention that there are different forms of estrogens... Estrone, Estrodial, Estrial, Xenoestrogens, Phytoestrogens, etc and even subdivisions of these types.. and there are different strengths that may take a different role in determining their safety.
School of thought 1: If there is a estrogen hormonally related problem, all estrogens should be avoided. These people will say to definitely avoid soy if an estrogen driven problem is present.
School of thought 2: Different estrogens act as a safeguard against estrogen-driven problems. The lesser strength estrogens in this case, meet the needs of the estrogen receptors on the cells and fulfill their functions w/o the more likely problems if a stronger estrogen reaches the cell. In this light, soy has pytoestrogens (plant produced) of a type that is considered less harmful and in that sense is more likely to have a beneficial effect in protecting against a problem.

In either case, once a hormone-related problem is diagnosed, soy will generally be advised against to be on the safe side.

I use soy and I had a hormonally based cancer (to show what a recalcitrant I am, I wouldn't take the surgery I was told to have either) In my personal nonscientific opinion, soy isn't strong enough to have a significant effect in either a beneficial or detrimental manner in my case. I could go on w/my quirky reasoning for that, but it's just my guesswork. I'm more worried about the possible insecticides and resulting xenoestrogens that could be a part of it than the soy itself, but that is a common food worry. I use soy for it's possible mildly protective effects anyways.

I haven't researched the theories behind the notions of pre vs postmenopausal women, though I understand that there are hormonal differences between the two groups.

Answer 3

Here is the reason for the confusion. Soy contains isoflavones which are biologically active.

One of these isoflavones is called genistein. It reacts with estrogen receptors, thus it acts like estrogen in the body.

Although there have been a lot of conflicting studies, it has been pretty well demonstrated that women who eat soy products throughout life get less breast cancer.

The article you linked is asking whether women who already have breast cancer should be eating a food that stimulates estrogen receptors, Most breast cancers are checked to see if they have estrogen receptors, because therapy depends on whether they do or not. Women who have cancers with estrogen receptors are usually treated with anti-estrogen drugs like Tamoxifen.

The author of your article concludes that there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against the use of soy in women with breast cancer. The article doesn't have anything to do with postmenopausal women or premenopausal women, just women with breast cancer.

The federal government has done a review of studies done on soy in various conditions. I am including a link to it.

I also found an interesting article that sums up pretty well what genistein is.

Answer 4

Soy is mildly estrogenic (is that the right word? Sorry!).

There's evidence that soy in childhood actually REDUCES the risk of breast cancer: http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/new_research/20061114.jsp

I've been told it's ok in moderation after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Going off that, I'd assume it's fine in moderation for any woman.

Here's a quote:
"The soy question is definitely confusing and controversial. Here is the concern about soy: The estrogen-like substances (isoflavones) in soy may stimulate the estrogen receptors of breast cancer cells and make them grow. It's this potential danger that makes many doctors warn their breast cancer patients against eating soy products."

Answer 5

I have breast cancer. Before I had breast cancer I took hormone pills for menopause. Soy has estrogen in it. I was told by my oncologist that my type of breast cancer has estrogen positive receptors and that it was like feeding a fire. Not all breast cancers are like this. So, I don't know if there is testing that you can have done before hand to see if this could happen to you, but if there was, it would be a way of knowing if soy or any other food product that had estrogen in it was safe for you or not.

Answer 6

I drink soy milk and I'm perfectly fine so far, but I have heard that the hormones in it make men go crazy. A friend I know (a male) was drinking it for about 2 weeks and he said he'd start crying for no reason so he had to stop drinking it. I'm not sure why....

Your question sparked an interest for me though, so I thought I'd look it up myself... and I've came to a conclusion: A lot of sites say that it could increase the risk of breast cancer, yes... but I'm not sure why... because the majority of the sites I've looked through said that it reduces the chance of breast cancer and it is much more healtheir for you...

I started drinking soy milk because I heard about what they do to cows. They inject hormones into cows so they stay "pregnant" thier whole life's so they can provide milk for us more conveniently. I think that is sickening and cruel, and all those hormones are getting passed along in the milk that everybody drinks. I personally think that regular milk is 10 times worse for us than soy.

http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/davis_soy_safe.htm

Answer 7

From the studies I've read its safe for women, however some studies suggest it may impair mental functioning in men
Studies have shown a correlation of reduce breast cancer in societies that eat greater amounts of soy, but the real correlation may be the reduced amount of saturated fat ub societies that eat greater amounts of soy
I checked out the nutrition website, thanks, you're smart to try to keep informed about nutrition

Answer 8

I eat a lot of soy products like soy sausage. Think about it....would you rather eat a tasty sausage made mainly from vegatables or from unknown pig parts that have been ground up and smooshed together.

Answer 9

do not eat soy.

Answer 10

i thought it was safe