
Soy Phytoestrogens for Menopause Hot Flashes
Does soy food consumption explain why Japanese women appear to be so protected from hot flash symptoms?
Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Claire
In one study in which 97,000 women were followed, those who ate lots of soy phytonutrients cut the risk of ovarian cancer in half. Coffee was a long time ago linked to ovarian cancer, but this turned out to be due to smoking, not coffee. Coffee is now thought to actually be protective against cancer. Green tea consumption may halve the risk of getting ovarian cancer. People who ate just one apple a day appear to have less risk of ovarian cancer. Indian gooseberries have found to be protective against many types of cancer, including ovarian. And beta carotene in foods may prevent ovarian cancer. Acrylamide is a neurotoxic industrial chemical found in french fries that has been linked to ovarian cancer. Meat consumption appears to be associated with female infertility (by interfering with ovulation). Hormone dependent cancers, such as ovarian cancer, may be linked to milk and dairy products because the commercial milk we drink today is from pregnant cows, so it contains high levels of steroid sex hormones. Japanese researchers, noticing the spike in their country in these cancers, have linked the increase to hormones found in American meat. It is now thought that cancers such as ovarian may grow for twenty years before they are detected.
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Does soy food consumption explain why Japanese women appear to be so protected from hot flash symptoms?
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