Soy protein linked to breast cancer growth
If you’re loading up on soy thinking you’re improving your health, it’s becoming increasingly clear you’re the victim of unscrupulous advertising. There’s no better way to sell a product than to convince people it’s healthy!
It is true that this study (Cancer Res 2001; 61 (13): 5045-50) was performed on mice, not people, but its conclusions are nonetheless disturbing. Researchers found that “soy protein diets increased estrogen-dependent tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner.” In other words the more soy the mice ate, the faster their tumors grew. It should also be noted that these were human tumor strains sensitive to human estrogen even though they happened to be in mice. Of course the study refers to already existing tumors and doesn’t imply that soy causes breast cancer in healthy people, but it also doesn’t seem like the type of thing I’d consume in large amounts.