Small to eat soy, large avoid cancer

A US study found that women who ate a lot of soybeans at an early age significantly reduced their risk of breast cancer in middle age.

Previous studies have suggested a link between soy and breast cancer risk.

Recent findings also suggest that eating plenty of soy is protective at any stage in life, and continues to confirm that the protective effect is strongest among those who ate soybeans as children. .

The study was conducted on nearly 1,600 Asian-American women, 600 of whom had breast cancer and the rest were healthy.

People who eat a lot of soybeans when they are young - about once a week or more - are 58% less likely to get the disease than those who consume less.

And those who eat lots of soybeans but in adulthood, have a 25% lower risk of breast cancer.

Even so, researchers still warn that this work is not enough to recommend an increase in soybeans in children's menus. They called for more research.

"This is the first study to assess the consumption of soy in childhood and the risk of breast cancer later, and this result is not enough to make recommendations to the community," Regina senior expert. G. Ziegler, from the National Cancer Institute, said.