Soy and Cruciferous Vegetable Intake in Female Breast Cancer
Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2018
Eating soy foods and cruciferous vegetables may reduce the common side effects of breast cancer treatment in survivors of breast cancer, according to a study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Higher intake of soy products such as soy milk, tofu, and edamame as well as vegetables such as cabbage, kale, and bok choy were reported to be associated with lower odds of menopausal symptoms and fatigue.
“These symptoms can adversely impact survivors’ quality of life and can lead them to stopping ongoing treatments,” said lead author Sarah Oppeneer Nomura, PhD, of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a press release. “Diet can serve as a modifiable target for possibly reducing symptoms among breast cancer survivors.”
The cross-sectional study collected data from 192 Chinese American and 173 non-Hispanic white breast cancer survivors who consumed between 0 and 431 g/day of soy and 0 and 865 g/day of vegetables.
When patients were stratified by race and ethnicity, researchers found higher associations between food intake and symptoms with non-Hispanic participants. Positive benefits were seen for Chinese women, but those results were deemed not statistically significant. Chinese women typically report fewer menopausal symptoms and consume higher rates of soy and vegetables, the researchers explained. In the study, Chinese women ate more than twice as much soy and cruciferous vegetables.
