Generally demonized as producing all kinds of unwanted health outcomes, natural soy is, in fact, another amazing weapon in the arsenal against cancer. As part of my personal holistic healing journey from a terminal diagnosis, I kept running across anecdotal references to soy having substantial anti-cancer properties. Skeptical at first, upon really digging into the clinical support, I now make sure to include edamame in my diet at least four or more times a week.
It has been clinically demonstrated (see PubMed references below) that soy consumption in the human diet has been directly linked to a decreased incidence of a variety of cancers. A group of bioactive compounds called isoflavones constitute the predominant anticancer agents in soy and have a multitude of effects on cancer cells. Genistein, one of the prominent soy isoflavones, can inhibit several steps involved in carcinogenesis, including angiogenesis, metastasis, antioxidant defense and DNA repair. In addition, eating soy can spark an epigenetic change in DNA with protective effects specifically against breast cancer.
Dr. William Li addresses soy’s role in promoting health and fighting cancer in his book Eat To Beat Disease. https://amzn.to/3ZOjTh0
For those of you who like to geek out on the science, here are links to a few of the actual clinical trials:
Soy and breast cancer: focus on angiogenesis – PubMed (nih.gov)
Soy isoflavones and prostate cancer: a review of molecular mechanisms – PubMed (nih.gov)
