Soy products contain isoflavones, which are chemically similar to estrogen. Studies investigating a link to breast cancer show mixed results.
COMMENTARIES ON THE SCIENCE REVIEWS
Five-fold variation in breast cancer incidence rates across the globe tells us that living in developed areas increases risk Families and friends of women touched by breast cancer are calling for increased attention to research into the environmental causes - any factors that are not hereditary. The goal is to find causes of breast cancer that can be reduced or eliminated to prevent the disease. To build an evidence-based strategy for preventing breast cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure invited Silent Spring Institute and their partners at Harvard University, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the University of Southern California to assess the scientific evidence on environmental causes. In the first year, the team reviewed areas of emerging research that promise to reveal new opportunities for risk reduction:
- environmental pollutants
- dietary factors
- body size and shape
- physical activity
- interactions of these factors with inherited genes
- databases developed from published scientific research
- review articles recently published in the journal CANCER.
- reviews of approximately 450 articles reporting on human breast cancer studies
- information on 216 chemicals identified as mammary carcinogens in animal studies
Read the review article