Soy intake and breast cancer risk: an evaluation based on a systematic review of epidemiologic evidence among the Japanese population.
OBJECTIVE
We reviewed epidemiological studies of soy intake and breast cancer among Japanese women. This report is one among a series of articles by our research group, which is evaluating the existing evidence concerning the association between health-related lifestyles and cancer.


METHODS
Original data were obtained from MEDLINE searches using PubMed or from searches of the Ichushi database, complemented with manual searches. Evaluation of associations was based on the strength of evidence and the magnitude of association, together with biological plausibility.


RESULTS
Five cohort studies and six case-control studies were identified. Among the cohort studies, two studies observed that total soy intake (in terms of total amounts of soy foods or soy isoflavones) was associated with a moderate (0.5 ≤ relative risk ≤ 0.67 with statistical significance) or strong (relative risk ≤ 0.5 with statistical significance) risk reduction of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Among the case-control studies, two studies reported a weak (0.67 ≤ odds ratio ≤ 1.5 with statistical significance or 0.5 ≤ odds ratio ≤ 0.67 without statistical significance) inverse association between total soy intake and the risk of breast cancer. In the former, this association was observed in all women combined-premenopausal and postmenopausal women-but in the latter, the association was confined to postmenopausal women. The associations of intakes of individual soy foods with the risk of breast cancer were generally null. There is some evidence that supports the biological plausibility of a protective effect of isoflavones on breast cancer risk.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that soy intake possibly decreases the risk of breast cancer among Japanese women.
*Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, Japan. chisato@gifu-u.ac.jp.
Chisato
C
Nagata
Tetsuya
T
Mizoue
Keitaro
K
Tanaka
Ichiro
I
Tsuji
Akiko
A
Tamakoshi
Keitaro
K
Matsuo
Kenji
K
Wakai
Manami
M
Inoue
Shoichiro
S
Tsugane
Shizuka
S
Sasazuki
D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017698:Postmenopause; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D045730:Soy Foods
Japanese; breast cancer; dietary soy; epidemiology; systematic review