WASHINGTON:
Eating soy could pose risks to some
women who begin consuming it as adults by making breast cancer tumours
resistant to treatment, US researchers said on Monday.
A study
on lab rats showed that those who were fed a soy compound all their lives
responded well to a popular breast cancer drug, tamoxifen, but those who began
eating it as adults, and after they developed breast cancer, grew resistant.
The
research suggests a possible reason why tamoxifen stops working and allows
tumours to grow again in some women, said scientists from Georgetown University
who presented their findings at a medical conference in Chicago.
"These
results suggest that Western women who started soy intake as adults, should
stop if diagnosed with breast cancer," said senior author Leena
Hilakivi-Clarke, professor of oncology at Georgetown.
Soy
contains isoflavones that mimic the estrogen produced in the body, only at
lower levels, and is considered a healthy protein source found in foods like
tofu, miso, soy beans and soy milk.
Its
potential benefits against breast cancer are often linked to the lower rates of
hormone receptor positive types of breast cancer seen in Asian women who live
in parts of the world where soy consumption is common.
Since
tamoxifen is typically given to breast cancer patients with estrogen receptor
and/or progesterone receptor positive types of tumours, the finding suggests
that late-life adoption of a soy diet may have rendered the drug impotent.
The
study was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Annual Meeting.
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AFP/al
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