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ers show no effect at all. A few of the human effect on time to progression of TTP (another prostate cancer marker) and
studies suggest that if soy reduces the risk of an undesirable increase in IGF-1 serum levels. IGF-1 stands for Insulin-
11
prostate cancer it does so only for those who like Growth Factor. Circulating IGF-1 concentrations increase the risk of
produce equol. Equol is a metabolite of the prostate, bladder, colorectal and breast cancer and have been implicated
6,7
soy isoflavone daidzein that only some people in heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosois. So far the research
are able to produce in the intestines. Given that indicates soy increases IGF-1 levels only in men. 12
the soy industry likes to promote its products as The takeaway? Dr. Bosland and his team were pro soy. Although
beneficial for everyone, equol has been an issue disappointed in the results, they nonetheless speculated that men who start
the soy industry prefers not to talk about. eating soy earlier in life would be more likely to enjoy prostate protection.
Soy proponents also rarely tell men that if They also concluded that soy was at least known to be “safe” and should
soy protein protects them from prostate cancer be eaten because it might well offer other benefits. Yes, it might though I
it is because it has a feminizing effect. The high would say the populations most likely to benefit would be monks trying
levels of soy that might be useful in prostate to maintain their vows of chastity, politicians with a zipper problem and
cancer prevention or treatment will significantly unfaithful husbands. For the rest of our men, the body of research suggests
decrease testosterone and other androgens and the wisdom of abiding by the precautionary principle of better safe than
increase estrogen. Doctors who believe prostate sorry.
cancer depends on exposure to male reproductive
hormones recommend soy because its estrogens Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, is The Naughty Nutritionist™ because of her abil-
perturb natural hormone concentrations and ity to outrageously and humorously debunk nutritional myths. She is vice
ratios. While this theory might lead to valid president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, on the Board of Directors
pharmaceutical applications in cancer treatment, of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, and author of The Whole
it seems inadvisable as a preventive treatment Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. She will be
for the entire male population. Testosterone, speaking on the history and science of broth at Wise Traditions 2013 in
after all, has multiple beneficial uses in the body, November. Kaayla’s primary website is: http://drkaayladaniel.com.
including growth, repair, thyroid function, red
blood cell formation and immune support, as ReFeReNceS
well as its well-known manly roles in sex drive 1. Bosland MC, Kato I, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, et al. Effect of soy protein isolate supple-
mentation on biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy: a
and reproduction. randomized trial. JAMA. 2013 Jul 10;310(2):170-8.
Men who have been urged to consume soy 2. Seaman, Andrew M. Soy doesn’t prevent prostate cancer return: study. Reuters, July
to prevent or reverse prostate cancer might also 9, 2013. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/us-soy-prostate-cancer-idUS-
BRe96815K20130709
want to consider the warnings of Daniel Doerge, 3. Bankhead, charles. The two sides of soy and prostate cancer. Med Page, July 15, 2013.
PhD, and Hebron C. Chang, PhD, of the FDA’s 4. http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/Prostatecancer/40476
Daniel, Kaayla. Striking at the soy heart health claim. March, 30, 2009 westonaprice.
National Laboratory for Toxicological Research, org . http://bit.ly/1dyWDs0 At the end of this article, there is a link to WAPF’s complete
who discovered that “genistein interferes with petition to the FDA, asking for retraction of the 1999 soy-prevents-heart-disease health
estrogen receptors in rat prostate glands” and claim. It includes a discussion of the use of casein as a control in studies on soy and heart
disease. http://www.westonaprice.org/images/pdfs/2008feb18-fdasoyheart-letter.pdf
warned that this finding might have “implica- 5. Daniel, KT. The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food (New
tions for reproductive toxicity and carcinogen- 6. Trends, 2005) pp. 386-389
Akaza H, Miyanaga N et al. Is daidzein non-metabolizer a high risk for prostate cancer?
esis.” A case-controlled study of serum soybean isoflavone concentration. Jpn J Clin Oncol.
8
Brain damage is another possibility. Soy 2002 Aug;32(8):296-300.
isoflavones have decreased both brain and 7. Akaza H, Mihanaga N et al. comparisons of percent equol producers between prostate
cancer patients and controls: case-controlled studies of isoflavones in Japanese, Korean
prostate weights of rats and also altered the and American residents. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2004 Feb;34(2):86-9.8.
structure of the sexually dimorphic brain region. 8. Doerge D, chang Hc. Inactivation of thyroid peroxidase by soy isoflavones in vitro and
in vivo. Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2002 Sep 25;777(1-2):269-79. 269.
The sexual dimorphic nucleus is located in the 9. Lephart eD, Adlercreutz H, Lund TD Dietary soy phytoestrogens effects on brain structure
diencephalons at the base of the hypothalamus and aromataze in Long-evans rats. Neuroreport. 2001 Nov 16;12(16):3451-5.
and is sensitive to estrogen and testosterone 10. Lephart eD, West TW et al. Neurobehavioral effects of dietary soy phytoestrogens. Neu-
rotoxicol Teratol. 2002 Jan-Feb;24(1):5-16.
in gender-specific ways, that is, differently for 11. Spentzos D, Mantazoros c et al. Minimal effect of a low-fat/high soy diet for asymptomatic,
hormonally naive prostate cancer patients. Clin Cancer Res. 2003 Aug 15;9(9):3282-7.
males and females. 12. Probts-Hensch NM, Wang H et al. Determinants of circulating insulin-like growth factors
9,10
Finally, researchers who tested a lowfat, I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 concentrations in a cohort of Singapore
high-soy diet on prostate cancer patients found men and women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2003 Aug;12(8):739-46.
an insignificant decline in PSA levels, a modest
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