Soy Products

I am wondering if everyone avoids soy products when they have breast cancer. Having a cancer that is estrogen fed (not sure if that is the right terminology) I hav been avoiding all soy products. I am lactose intolerant so used a lot of soy based products. I keep forgetting to ask my oncologist. Thanks for your advice.

[kkrouse]

My doctor says I can eat soy, but I try to avoid things like soy milk and tofu. I do use soy sauce, but not often.

[StE72]

Yes. I avoid soy any kind of soya. I have oestrogen positive MBC.

I have read that,

Although not proven by the scientists, it appears that soy contains a protein, called isoflavone, which can act like a weak estrogen. Soy supplements, such as powders, pills, and capsules, contain more isoflavones than soy eaten as food, such as tofu, soy milk, and the beans themselves (also called edamame). Some doctors are concerned that the growth of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers may be turned on by isoflavones.

Other doctors think soy might protect breast health because the hormone-like strength of isoflavones is much weaker than the estrogen your body naturally makes. So it might be healthier if soy’s weak isoflavones wash out or replace some of your body’s stronger estrogen.

A study suggests that eating soy foods may help improve survival in women diagnosed with hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer. It’s VERY important to know that this study looked only at isoflavones that occur naturally in soy food products. It did NOT look at isoflavone supplements, such as pills, powders, and capsules. If you’ve been diagnosed with hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer, please do not start taking large amounts of isoflavone supplements.

Still, it’s important to:

Avoid highly concentrated soy products or protein supplements (they come in powders and capsules).

Avoid hidden soy, found in many packaged foods in various forms (protein isolate and soybean oil). Real, whole foods provide the best nutrients. These packaged foods may affect your body differently than whole soy. Eating hidden soy may mean that you’re eating more soy than you planned.

Stick to certified organic soy foods. More than 90% of conventional soybeans come from genetically modified seeds. So far, no research shows that genetically modified foods affect cancer risk or cause long-term health problems. But many crops, including soy, are engineered to withstand spraying with certain pesticides, and pesticide residues can cause unhealthy cell changes. Certified organic products don’t use genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

This info was taken from the Breastcancer.org site.

[Snowcone16]

Nope. Moderation. I’m like 46% Asian (ancestry result) so soy is just part of my diet. It’s probably like once per week though.

[Pattie1951]

I try to avoid soy

[Hidden]

I have heard that soy should be avoided if one's cancer is oestrogen positive but though I rarely use any soy I do keep and use soy sauce.

However I have recently heard that turmeric should be used in moderation by oestrogen positive cancer patients and avoided when one is on certain chemo drugs for this. Really? And I was told to take turmeric in moderation to allay some of the inflammatory side effects of some meds! Anyone else heard this?

[lynzer in reply to Hidden]

I haven’t and have been taking turmeric pills for inflammation. I should prob ask my oncologist

[blms]

I do avoid soy in all forms. As far as milk product, I really like coconut milk! It’s much tastier than soy or almond for me. I buy one without sugars and make a protein drink in am with some powdered suppliments and ground up hemp hearts fir protein. It’s delicious and filling. Also if you take any vitamin supplements, you need to watch labels. Several manufacturers out soy in vitamins you would not think if looking fir that.

As far as turmeric goes, I Had the same concerns and questions. I asked my doctor of 45 years I’ve only breast cancer his opinion as well as checking Sloan Kettering on turmeric. Personally, I was comfortable with the response that I got. That was do not take supplementation with Tumeric because they often put other things in the products that would be harmful to you. But I was told if I’d like to the Tumeric powder and wanted to put it in food or make tea which I do make with it that that was totally fine because it was the food form. With that said there are certain Tumeric products on the market which are in capsule form that are pretty clean and don’t have saw another things added to it. So on my week off Of Ibrance I do take those supplements. Sloan Kettering response online suggest that to Merrick taking while taking Ibrance can interfere with the drug. So I don’t push that envelope and I just use the powder and make a tea with ginger and some other things along with the Tumeric during the other part of the month. So I feel like I’m getting the most benefit from everything . But that’s just me

[salletaft]

Look up Dr Andrew Weil and soy products. He maintains the latest research does not support that it adds estrogen to the body. Since reading his work, I do not avoid soy. Good luck to you in your exploration of this topic.

[Snowcone16 in reply to salletaft]

Spontaneous Healing is a great read.

[Garnet131]

I am currently 5 weeks into a 4-month study at the Medical College of Wisconsin on exercise and nutrition for MBC patients. One emphasis of the study is "plant based eating" (their term). Some cooking classes are included as part of the study and when I went to my first class two weeks ago, the instructor stated that current research indicates that soy is beneficial for BC patients. I was surprised, as this was the opposite of what I had understood for many years. I'm not sure if I can bring myself to go back to soy after years of hearing it was "bad." I was vegetarian for a few years and ate soy then--eventually quit because I became anemic (which I'm sure was my fault for not eating correctly). The study uses materials from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, specifically a booklet titled "Healthy Eating for Life - Food Choices for Cancer Prevention and Survival." This is an excerpt from page 7:

"Certain foods have special benefits. Soybeans, for example, contain natural compounds called isoflavones. These are very weak estrogen-like compounds that can occupy the estrogen receptors on breast cells, presumably displacing normal estrogens. The result is less estrogen stimulation of each cell. Research studies have shown that soy foods are not only safe but helpful for both preventing and surviving breast cancer. Eating

soy products during adolescence seems to offer the greatest protection for reducing breast cancer risk. Women who eat the most soy foods have a lower chance of developing pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer, compared with those who eat the least. Similarly, breast cancer survivors who eat more soy foods have a lower risk of recurrence and better chance of survival, compared with women who do not eat as much. Soybeans are a mainstay of Asian diets and may be an additional reason why these countries have low cancer rates."

You can see the whole booklet and other materials at PCRM.org. I tried to copy the link but it didn't work.

[blms]

Just curious whether this research was done on Americans with American diets?

[psailsbery]

I just asked my oncologist about soy last week. He said small amounts are okay, like the soy in Ensure drinks (I drink 2 per day), things like that. But do not take soy supplements or ingest massive quantities of soy.