To prevent a recurrence, should breast cancer survivors on Tamoxifen seek, or snub, soy?
Soy and Breast Cancer Survival
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
We’ve known for years that soy helps prevent breast cancer, and that evidence continues to grow. And the earlier we can get our daughters to eat soy, the better, as that’s where we see the strongest protection.
If you remember from my Volume 2 DVD, we learned that women who have breast cancer who eat soy live significantly longer. But what if you’re on Tamoxifen—a drug breast cancer survivors can take to help prevent a recurrence, by blocking the effect of estrogen on the body? So if you’re trying to wipe out all trace of estrogen activity, do you want to be eating the phytoestrogens found in soy? Fact or fiction: breast cancer survivors on Tamoxifen should avoid soy. Fiction.
In the Life After Cancer study, following nearly 2,000 breast cancer survivors, women on Tamoxifen who ate the most soy had a 60% reduction in breast cancer recurrence compared to women who ate the least amount of soy phytoestrogens. They cut their risk of cancer coming back in half, just by eating soy.
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- S. A. Lee, X. O. Shu, H. Li, G. Yang, H. Cai, W. Wen, B. T. Ji, J. Gao, Y. T. Gao, and W. Zheng. Adolescent and adult soy food intake and breast cancer risk: results from the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 89(6):1920-1926, 2009.
- L. A. Korde, A. H. Wu, T. Fears, A. M. Y. Nomura, D. W. West, L. N. Kolonel, M. C. Pike, R. N. Hoover, and R. G. Ziegler. Childhood soy intake and breast cancer risk in Asian American women. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 18(4):1050, 2009.
- B.N. Fink, S.E. Steck, M.S. Wolff, J.A. Britton, G.C. Kabat, M.M. Gaudet, P.E. Abrahamson, P. Bell, J.C. Schroeder, S.L. Teitelbaum, A.I. Neugut, & M.D. Gammon. Dietary flavonoid intake and breast cancer survival among women on Long Island. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 16(11):2285-2292, 2007.
- N. Guha, M. L. Kwan, C. P. Quesenberry Jr, E. K. Weltzien, A. L. Castillo, and B. J. Caan. Soy isoflavones and risk of cancer recurrence in a cohort of breast cancer survivors: the Life After Cancer Epidemiology study. Breast Cancer Res. Treat., 118(2):395-405, 2009.
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
We’ve known for years that soy helps prevent breast cancer, and that evidence continues to grow. And the earlier we can get our daughters to eat soy, the better, as that’s where we see the strongest protection.
If you remember from my Volume 2 DVD, we learned that women who have breast cancer who eat soy live significantly longer. But what if you’re on Tamoxifen—a drug breast cancer survivors can take to help prevent a recurrence, by blocking the effect of estrogen on the body? So if you’re trying to wipe out all trace of estrogen activity, do you want to be eating the phytoestrogens found in soy? Fact or fiction: breast cancer survivors on Tamoxifen should avoid soy. Fiction.
In the Life After Cancer study, following nearly 2,000 breast cancer survivors, women on Tamoxifen who ate the most soy had a 60% reduction in breast cancer recurrence compared to women who ate the least amount of soy phytoestrogens. They cut their risk of cancer coming back in half, just by eating soy.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- S. A. Lee, X. O. Shu, H. Li, G. Yang, H. Cai, W. Wen, B. T. Ji, J. Gao, Y. T. Gao, and W. Zheng. Adolescent and adult soy food intake and breast cancer risk: results from the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 89(6):1920-1926, 2009.
- L. A. Korde, A. H. Wu, T. Fears, A. M. Y. Nomura, D. W. West, L. N. Kolonel, M. C. Pike, R. N. Hoover, and R. G. Ziegler. Childhood soy intake and breast cancer risk in Asian American women. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 18(4):1050, 2009.
- B.N. Fink, S.E. Steck, M.S. Wolff, J.A. Britton, G.C. Kabat, M.M. Gaudet, P.E. Abrahamson, P. Bell, J.C. Schroeder, S.L. Teitelbaum, A.I. Neugut, & M.D. Gammon. Dietary flavonoid intake and breast cancer survival among women on Long Island. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 16(11):2285-2292, 2007.
- N. Guha, M. L. Kwan, C. P. Quesenberry Jr, E. K. Weltzien, A. L. Castillo, and B. J. Caan. Soy isoflavones and risk of cancer recurrence in a cohort of breast cancer survivors: the Life After Cancer Epidemiology study. Breast Cancer Res. Treat., 118(2):395-405, 2009.
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Soy and Breast Cancer Survival
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Content URLDoctor's Note
For more on breast cancer risk, check out these videos:
Can Flax Seeds Help Prevent Breast Cancer?
BRCA Breast Cancer Genes & Soy
Breast Cancer & Constipation
Cholesterol Feeds Breast Cancer Cells
Statin Cholesterol Drugs & Invasive Breast Cancer
And check out my other videos on breast cancer.
For more context, also see my associated blog posts: Breast Cancer & Diet; Soy & Breast Cancer: an update; and Soy milk: shake it up!
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