Whether eating soy causes breast cancer is a myth or not

here expert and studies explain totally eating soy caouse canser or not.

For vegetarians, vegans, and others who follow a plant-based diet, soy is a fantastic source of high-quality protein that is also packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. How much soy, though, is too much? In addition to all of these nutrients, soy also contains phytoestrogens called isoflavones, which resemble the human hormone estrogen but are different from it and less potent.

There is research on the protective properties of phytoestrogens, but some people think that consuming too many of these isoflavones can act as an endocrine disruptor, interfering with how hormones work naturally and possibly increasing the risk of breast cancer. They also think that these isoflavones might even feed the growth of tumors in those with estrogen-related breast cancer. What is the actual relationship between soy and cancer, then? How much soybean is too much, exactly?

Does Soy Have a Cancer Risk?

The exact opposite is true. The data is clear that eating more soy lowers your overall risk of breast cancer, and soy may even have a preventive effect through regulating estrogen production, according to big studies of Asian cultures where the women consume a lot of soy.

In Asia, soy consumption decreased the incidence of breast cancer in both pre- and postmenopausal women, according to a PLOS-One study of more than 30 research (though the studies have not found as strong a protective effect in American women, possibly because Asian women tend to start eating soy at a much younger age than their Western counterparts). Soy may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension, according to other studies.

According to one theory, phytoestrogens may protect against breast cancer by: Both isoflavones and the estrogen your body produces are weaker than isoflavones. hook on to the beta estrogen receptors, preventing the action of real estrogen. According to specialists who described this technique to The Beet, if those plant substances take the place of the stronger hormone serving as a brake on true estrogen in your cells. They may even be able to prevent tumors that require animal-based estrogen to thrive by doing this.

According to Lee Crosby RD, "There are two types of receptors when it comes to estrogens, especially those that our own bodies manufacture." "both estrogen's beta and alpha receptors. In contrast to beta receptors, which serve as braes and instruct cells to cease growing, alpha receptors work as accelerators and instruct cells to develop. While plant-estrogen connects to the beta receptors and performs the opposite by telling the cells to cease growing, estrogen binds to the alpha receptors and signals for the cells to develop."

Breast cancer risk is found to be reduced by plant estrogen

Founder and chief medical officer of BreastCancer.org Marisa C. Weiss, MD, says that many of the women in these studies are "economic vegetarians." They consume soy for the majority of their lives because it is a cheap source of protein and they don't consume a lot of meat or dairy. She continues, "The question is, is it because they are consuming less meat and dairy that their risk of breast cancer is decreasing, or is it because soy? Is it because they are often more slender? Although we don't really know if it's the soy itself, we do know that lifetime soy consumption is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer.

When you examine soy consumption in women who have survived breast cancer, the science becomes more complex. This is because research using lab rats or test tubes suggests that the main isoflavone genistein may promote the growth of breast cancer tumors. However, investigations involving real women have not discovered this effect (and those rats were not being fed whole soy foods, but isoflavone extracts).

In fact, studies have shown that soy consumption may really help prevent a recurrence in breast cancer survivors: According to a recent study published in the journal Cancer, among North American women with breast cancer, those who consumed the most soy had the lowest mortality rates over the following ten years. Women who consumed the most soy had the lowest rates of recurrence and death during a four-year follow-up, according to another sizable study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that followed more than 5,000 breast cancer survivors.

There has been concern that soy may interfere with the treatment of breast cancer because isoflavone and the drug tamoxifen both bind to estrogen receptors. However, the JAMA study found that women who consumed low to moderate amounts of soy while taking tamoxifen had a higher survival rate, while those who consumed large amounts of soy had no discernible effect on their prognosis.

Are there superior soy products than others?

According to Dr. Weiss, the ladies in the Asian population studies were not frequenting Trader Joe's to stock up on soy corn dogs. They consume soy in the form of whole foods including tofu, edamame beans, tempeh, and soy milk. She explains that to make tofu, the soybean must first be squeezed, and then the curd must be removed. It is an entirely natural food that is low in cholesterol, fat-free, and rich in protein and fiber. Dr. Weiss said that it is best to purchase organic foods to avoid pesticides.

Of course, replacing considerably less healthy proteins in your diet, most notably red meat, with soy is one of the major problems with eating soy. According to a study from the Harvard School of Public Health, women who consumed red meat as children had a higher risk of developing breast cancer as adults. They had a 22% higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer for each serving of red meat they consumed daily as adolescents, and a 13% higher risk of breast cancer overall for each serving they consumed daily as young adults.

What about soy products, though?

The not-so-great news is that soy protein isolate, rather than all-natural soybeans, is used to make the soy products found in many vegetarian and vegan products, including the beloved nuggets and corn dogs of children, as well as the protein shakes, health bars, and supplements found on store shelves. Dr. Weiss explains, "This is a concentrated pharmaceutical extract. We are unsure of the potential health effects of these isoflavones, and I would stay away from anything that can have a hormonal impact in high levels.

And in fact, the authors of a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology that outlines the advantages of soy warn against using supplements that contain soy isoflavones because they contain extremely high dosages of the compound and have not been sufficiently examined. According to Dr. Weiss, it is always preferable to err on the side of caution because it is better to be safe than sorry. Real food is always preferable to processed stuff. If there is a veggie burger made with ground edamame rather than soy isolates, go for it.

In conclusion, soy products including beans, tofu, tempeh, miso, and soy milk are highly beneficial and ought to be consumed frequently.

To have the greatest protection against breast cancer, begin consuming these meals made from soy as soon as possible. However, soy products are like any processed meal, whether it be made of plants or meat: they are a mishmash of substances created in a lab that may or may not be bad for our bodies.