Soy: It can prevent breast cancer – in one group of women

04 July 2008

Is soy good for you or not? This supposed super food has its champions, and an equal number of detractors, but it seems it can dramatically reduce the risk of breast cancer for one group of women.

Postmenopausal women who have an above-average BMI (body mass index) enjoy the greatest protection from a soy diet, and they reduce their chances of breast cancer by 18 per cent. Women who have not reached the menopause, or who are slimmer, don’t seem to get any benefits from the food.

Researchers, who studied the health profiles and diets of 35,303 women in Singapore, found that a daily amount of 10 mg of soy isoflavone, obtained in a standard serving of tofu, had lasting protective effects against breast cancer.

(Source: British Journal of Cancer, 2008; 99: 196-200).

Soy: It can prevent breast cancer – in one group of women

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