Take home point - for optimal health, keep eating your fermented soy - miso, tamari, natto, tempeh...and continue to avoid "non-food" soy supplements.. Green Blessings, Susun Weed

Editorial: Challenges in Design and Interpretation of Observational Research on Health Behaviors and Cancer SurvivalRachel Ballard-Barbash, M.D., M.P.H., of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md., and Marian L. Neuhouser, Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, write in an accompanying editorial that while this study [ The Shanghai Breast Cancer Survivial Study] provides important information, there are several concerns, including differences in the quality, type and quantity of soy food intake between China and the U.S. (47 mg/d vs. 1 to 6 mg/d, respectively, average isoflavone intake). Also, they point out the relatively short median follow-up time of the study (4 years); that there likely are differences in screening rates in China compared with the U.S.; and a number of factors may make it difficult to compare stage- and treatment-specific results in China with outcomes in the U.S."Even though the findings by Shu et al suggest that consumption of soy foods among breast cancer patients is probably safe, studies in larger cohorts are required to understand the effects of these foods among diverse clinical subgroups of breast cancer patients and survivors. Moreover, the potential benefits are confined to soy foods, and inferences should not be made about the risks or benefits of soy-containing dietary supplements..." JAMA. 2009;302[22]:2483-2484.
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