It appears that soy’s high dietary levels of plant estrogens don’t increase breast-cancer and uterine-cancer risk, according to a new study. Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine looked at 179 postmenopausal monkeys. The monkeys receiving either isoflavone-depleted or isoflavone-rich soy protein isolates had significantly lower markers for cancer risk than those receiving isoflavone-depleted soy protein isolate with added horse estrogens (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2004, vol. 89, no. 7). And although the study was conducted on monkeys, Charles E. Wood, DVM, lead researcher of the study, says the findings are significant for women. “Despite certain differences, we think the monkey model is generally predictive of responses in women.”
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