Phytoestrogens, plant food components with estrogen-like biological properties, are hypothesized to contribute to the 5-fold lower breast cancer incidence in Asian compared with Western countries (1). Isoflavones comprise the phytoestrogens most abundant in soy, the traditional staple food in Asia, and a recent meta-analysis concluded that there was a slight reduction in premenopausal breast ca...

Phytoestrogens, plant food components with estrogen-like biological properties, are hypothesized to contribute to the 5-fold lower breast cancer incidence in Asian compared with Western countries (1). Isoflavones comprise the phytoestrogens most abundant in soy, the traditional staple food in Asia, and a recent meta-analysis concluded that there was a slight reduction in premenopausal breast ca...

The relationship between soy food intake and breast cancer has been rigorously investigated for more than 25 years. The identification of isoflavones as possible chemopreventive agents helped fuel this line of investigation. These diphenolic compounds, which are found in uniquely-rich amounts in soy beans, possess both estrogen-dependent and -independent properties that potentially inhibit the ...

The various beneficial effects of soybeans, which are rich in phytochemicals, have received much attention because of increasing health awareness. Soy milk that has been fermented using lactic acid bacteria has been used to prepare cheese-like products, tofu (bean-curd), and yogurt-type products. However, the distinct odor of soybeans has limited the acceptance of such foods, particularly in We...

BACKGROUND Soy foods contain several components (isoflavones and amino acids) that potentially affect bone. Few long-term, large clinical trials of soy as a means of improving bone mineral density (BMD) in late postmenopausal women have been conducted. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to evaluate the long-term effect of dietary soy protein and/or soy isoflavone consumption on skeletal health in late po...

BACKGROUND The bioavailability of isoflavones in children after soy exposure is uncertain. OBJECTIVE We aimed to compare isoflavone patterns in infants exposed to isoflavone-containing breast milk (BF), in tofu-fed (TF) infants, and in mothers consuming a soy beverage. DESIGN Eighteen nursing mothers who were not feeding soy foods to their infants consumed one daily serving of a soy protein...

BACKGROUND Soy isoflavones have antiestrogenic and anticancer properties but also possess estrogen-like properties, which has raised concern about soy food consumption among breast cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE We prospectively evaluated the association between postdiagnosis soy food consumption and breast cancer outcomes among US and Chinese women by using data from the After Breast Cancer Poo...

The tissue concentrations of the female sex hormone 17beta-estradiol (E2) and its reactive catechol metabolites such as 4-hydroxyestradiol (4-HO-E2) play important roles in hormonal carcinogenesis. They are influenced by the activity of local enzymes involved in the metabolic activation and inactivation of E2. In the mammary gland, catechol estrogens are predominately inactivated by catechol-O-...