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Messina MJ, Messina V, Nagata C. Perspective: Observational Studies Involving Low-Soy Intake Populations Have Limited Ability for Providing Insight into the Health Effects of Soybean Isoflavones. Adv Nutr 2024; 15:100210. [PMID: 38484974 PMCID: PMC10992291 DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Isoflavones are naturally occurring plant compounds found in uniquely high amounts in soybeans and foods made from this legume. These soybean constituents have been proposed to exert several health benefits and as such they have been the subject of an enormous amount of research. This research includes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and epidemiologic investigations. Although statistically significant associations between isoflavone intake and a wide range of health outcomes have been identified in cohorts involving low-isoflavone intake populations, we suggest that these associations are unlikely to have a causal basis because exposure is too low for isoflavones to exert physiologic effects. In cohorts involving predominantly non-Asian, non-vegetarian populations, the highest isoflavone intake category is typically ≤3 mg/d, an amount of isoflavones provided by ∼30 mL (2 tablespoons) of soymilk made from whole soybeans. In comparison, mean isoflavone intake in the upper intake categories in observational studies involving high-isoflavone intake populations is typically ≥50 mg/d. In RCTs, intervention doses of isoflavones typically range between 40 and 100 mg/d. Health professionals advising patients and clients about soy food and isoflavone intake need to be aware of the limitations of epidemiologic research involving low-isoflavone intake populations. Intake recommendations are best based on the results of RCTs using clinically relevant doses of isoflavones and epidemiologic studies involving populations for whom soy foods are a habitual part of the diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Messina
- Soy Nutrition Institute Global, Jefferson City, MO, United States.
| | | | - Chisato Nagata
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
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Lalioti A, Verzeletti L, Tiberio P, Gerosa R, Gaudio M, Saltalamacchia G, Pastore M, Zambelli A, Santoro A, De Sanctis R. Common Misconceptions about Diet and Breast Cancer: An Unclear Issue to Dispel. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:306. [PMID: 38254795 PMCID: PMC10814151 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) constitutes a prevalent health condition among women. Recent years have witnessed the identification of dietary proto-oncogenic factors that deserve attention. Besides the well-known role of alcohol and red and processed meat in BC development, the impact of other dietary components remains unclear. Our narrative review aims to explore the diet-BC relationship, focusing on sugar, dairy, and soy consumption. We conducted a PubMed literature search covering the last decade (2013-2023) and included 35 papers. We found limited evidence on the association between high sugar intake and BC incidence. On the other hand, dairy and soy consumption displayed a protective effect in the majority of the analyzed papers. However, a significant degree of heterogeneity was reported among the results. Menopausal status and the specific BC molecular subtypes were the main factors influencing the interpretation of the results. Exploring dietary factors and BC revealed inconsistencies: high glycemic index post-menopause may be a risk factor, while sugar-sweetened drinks and artificial sweeteners yielded conflicting results; fermented dairy showed potential benefits, non-fermented dairy presented inconsistent findings; soy impact on BC varied according to molecular subtype, with some studies suggesting a positive association in luminal-like BC. Hence, further investigation is crucial to obtain a uniform consensus on the diet-BC relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Lalioti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy; (A.L.); (L.V.); (R.G.); (M.G.); (A.Z.); (A.S.); (R.D.S.)
| | - Laura Verzeletti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy; (A.L.); (L.V.); (R.G.); (M.G.); (A.Z.); (A.S.); (R.D.S.)
| | - Paola Tiberio
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Riccardo Gerosa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy; (A.L.); (L.V.); (R.G.); (M.G.); (A.Z.); (A.S.); (R.D.S.)
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Mariangela Gaudio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy; (A.L.); (L.V.); (R.G.); (M.G.); (A.Z.); (A.S.); (R.D.S.)
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Giuseppe Saltalamacchia
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Manuela Pastore
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Alberto Zambelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy; (A.L.); (L.V.); (R.G.); (M.G.); (A.Z.); (A.S.); (R.D.S.)
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Armando Santoro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy; (A.L.); (L.V.); (R.G.); (M.G.); (A.Z.); (A.S.); (R.D.S.)
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Rita De Sanctis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy; (A.L.); (L.V.); (R.G.); (M.G.); (A.Z.); (A.S.); (R.D.S.)
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (G.S.); (M.P.)
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Yap B, Rajaram N, Ho WK, Khor GL, Teo SH. Perceptions, attitudes and beliefs towards soya among healthy Asian women participating in a soya randomised controlled trial. J Nutr Sci 2023; 12:e69. [PMID: 37457681 PMCID: PMC10345781 DOI: 10.1017/jns.2023.48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The soya-breast cancer risk relationship remains controversial in Asia due to limited and inconsistent research findings and is exacerbated by difficulties in recruiting and retaining participants in intervention trials. Understanding public perceptions towards soya is important for designing effective intervention trials. Here, we administered a close-ended, quantitative survey to healthy, peri- and post-menopausal Asian women in the Malaysian Soy and Mammographic Density (MiSo) Study to assess perception towards soya and explore motivators and barriers that affect study adherence using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Belief (COM-B) Model and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Of 118 participants, the majority reported the belief that soya promotes good health (Supplement = 85⋅7 %, Diet = 90⋅0 %, Control = 87⋅9 %). Most participants reported obtaining information about soya from the internet (Supplement = 61⋅0 %, Diet = 55⋅3 %, Control = 35⋅9 %), while health professionals were least reported (Supplement = 9⋅8 %, Diet = 7⋅9 %, Control = 5⋅1 %). Stratified analyses by study completion and adherence status yielded comparable findings. By the end of the study, dietary arm participants reported a strong belief that soya has no impact on their health (Supplement = 7⋅1 % v. Diet = 20⋅0 % v. Control = 0⋅0 %, P = 0⋅012). Motivation and opportunity strongly facilitated soya consumption, while psychological capability was the most common barrier to consumption though less evident among dietary arm participants. While most Asian women have a positive perception towards soya, theory-based intervention trials are warranted to understand the perception-study adherence relationship and to accurately inform the public of the health effects of soya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beverley Yap
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500, Malaysia
| | - Nadia Rajaram
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500, Malaysia
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor 43500, Malaysia
| | - Weang Kee Ho
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500, Malaysia
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor 43500, Malaysia
| | - Geok Lin Khor
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Soo Hwang Teo
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500, Malaysia
- Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Cancer Research Institute, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
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