There has been an ongoing debate on whether or not soy should be listed as a food to avoid or a superfood. The estrogen-like properties in soy have people divided – is it safe? How does it affect natural hormones?
While it may be easy for some people to give up soy, for women who have dairy allergies or who are vegans, soy products can be staples in their diets and eliminating them completely can be difficult. Also, how many of us would be willing to eat sushi with out the soy sauce?
Breast cancer survivors have traditionally been advised to avoid soy products for fear that the estrogen-like qualities of soy might cause the cancer to return.
If a recent
study is any indication, health professionals may start advising breast cancer survivors to increase their soy intake rather than eliminate it.
The study, comprised of more than 18,000 women, analyzed their soy intake in both food and supplement form. It showed that the likelihood of breast cancer recurring in women who consumed soy did not increase.
Even more interesting, was that women with the highest intake of soy had a 15 percent decreased risk for breast cancer recurrence.
While more studies will need to be completed before there is a clear answer, for the time being it seems that the benefits of soy outweigh the risks.
What do you think? Are you willing to give soy another chance?
Photo courtesy of choosingraw.com.
Article first published as
Soy Safe for Breast Cancer Survivors on Technorati.
