Should Women With Breast Cancer Avoid Soy?

This is a very interesting article on Soy and Breast Cancer.

The Soy Controversy Returns

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

 

The soy wars are heating up again. You may have seen the recent headlines saying: "Soy protein found to speed the growth of breast cancer!" "Eating soy may turn on genes linked to [breast] cancer growth!" "Women with breast cancer should avoid high soy diets!" It all sounds pretty scary.

 

If this is true, it is big news. In recent years the consensus in the scientific community has been that soy is not harmful for women with breast cancer, and that it might even be beneficial. However, some skeptics have never accepted that consensus view. Those skeptics are once again claiming that soy protein may be risky for women with breast cancer.

 

Let’s look at the study behind the recent headlines and see if it is compelling enough to challenge the prevailing consensus on the safety of soy for women with breast cancer.

Does Soy Protein Turn On Breast Cancer Growth Genes?

This study (Shike et al, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Sep 4 2014, doi: 10.1093/jnci/dju 189) looked at 140 women (average age 56) with invasive breast cancer. They were randomly divided into two groups of 70 and either given soy protein or a placebo between the initial biopsy and the time that surgery was performed to remove the tumor (a period of 7 to 30 days). A second biopsy was obtained at the time of surgery.

 

The activity of a number of genes associated with breast cancer survival was measured in the two biopsy samples. The observation that made the headlines was:

• For some of the women in the study the activity of several genes associated with breast cancer growth and survival was increased in the group consuming soy protein compared to the placebo group. The authors concluded: “These data raise concern that soy may exert a stimulatory effect on breast cancer in a subset of women.”

What Are The Limitations Of The Study?

The authors acknowledged the many limitations of the study, but the press has largely ignored them.

• The increased activity of the cancer growth genes was only seen in 20% of the women studied. For 80% of the women studied soy protein consumption had no effect on the activity of genes associated with breast cancer growth and survival.

• This effect was only seen for some of the genes associated with breast cancer growth and survival. Other breast cancer growth genes were not affected in any of the women enrolled in the study. The authors conceded that it was unknown whether these limited genetic changes would have any effect on tumor growth and survival.

• There was no effect of soy consumption on actual tumor growth in any of the women studied.

• This was a very short term study so it is not known whether these changes in gene expression would have continued if soy supplementation were continued for a longer period of time. There are numerous examples in the literature of initial changes in gene expression in response to a radical change in diet that disappear once the body becomes accustomed to the new diet.

• There is absolutely no way of knowing if the observed changes in gene expression would actually affect clinical outcomes such as survival, response to chemotherapy or tumor recurrence.

Should Women With Breast Cancer Avoid Soy?

Even with all of the limitations listed above, if this were the only study to test the soy-breast cancer hypothesis, I and most other experts would probably be warning women with breast cancer to be very cautious about consuming soy.

 

However, as I discussed in a previous “Health Tips From the Professor” at least five clinical studies have been published on the effects of soy consumption on the recurrence of breast cancer in women who are breast cancer survivors, both in Chinese and American populations. The studies have shown either no effect of soy on breast cancer recurrence or a protective effect. None of them have shown any detrimental effects of soy consumption by breast cancer survivors.

 

A meta-analysis of all 5 studies was published last year (Chi et al, Asian Pac J Cancer Prev., 14: 2407-2412, 2013). This study combined the data from 11,206 breast cancer survivors in the US and China. Those with the highest soy consumption had a 23% decrease in recurrence and a 15% decrease in mortality from breast cancer.

 

Another meta-analysis of 18 clinical studies found that soy slightly decreases the risk of developing breast cancer in the first place (J Natl Cancer Inst, 98: 459-471, 2006). To date there is absolutely no clinical evidence that soy increases the risk of breast cancer.

The Bottom Line:

What does this mean for you if you are a woman with breast cancer, a breast cancer survivor or someone who is concerned about your risk of developing breast cancer?
 
1)     The study that has generated the recent headlines has so many limitations that I would not recommend any changes in soy consumption at present. It raises an interesting hypothesis that requires further study and validation. If this hypothesis holds up it may result in changes in dietary recommendations for a very small subset of women with invasive breast cancer.
 
2)     There are many reasons to include soy protein foods as part of a healthy diet. Soy foods are one of the highest quality vegetable protein sources and provide a great alternative to many of the high fat, high cholesterol animal proteins in the American diet.
 
3)     I personally feel that these studies are clear cut enough that women who are concerned about their breast cancer risk, women with breast cancer, and breast cancer survivors no longer need to fear soy protein as part of a healthy diet.
 
4)     The responsible websites agree with this assessment. For example, WebMD and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) both say that breast cancer survivors need no longer worry about eating moderate amounts of soy foods.
 
5)     The irresponsible websites (I won’t name names, but you know who they are) are still warning breast cancer survivors to avoid soy completely. They are citing the latest study, with all of its limitations, as proof that they were right all along. As a scientist I really have a problem with people who are unwilling to change their opinions in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
 
6)     Finally, I want to emphasize that the published studies merely show that soy does not increase the risk of breast cancer and is safe to use for breast cancer survivors. None of those studies suggest that soy is an effective treatment for breast cancer. The protective effects of soy are modest at best. If you have breast cancer, consult with your physician about the best treatment options for you.

 

     These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

Dr. Steve Chaney
Health Tips From the Professor
stevechaneytips@gmail.com
www.healthtipsfromtheprofessor.com

editors note:  I have had several people with Breast Cancer do very well with the Soy that Shaklee has, first it is not genetically modified and the processing is a huge part of the quality as well.  Most Soy on the market is alcohol washed which strips part of the quality of the soy.  Shaklee is water washed and it leaves soy the way God made it therefore it is not bad for anyone.

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BRAIN HEALTH

Key nutrients in MindWorks have been shown in three clinical studies and hundreds of laboratory studies to immediately enhance mental sharpness and protect against age-related mental decline.* Watch the video to learn more.

CAN WE HELP?

How's your belief?

It's GrOw Time

Greetings,

One thing that is vital for growing this business is having a strong belief.  I remember very vividly when my belief about building a large business became etched in stone.  It was the month when we broke out our 4th first level sales leader which was about two plus years into the business.   I would have to say that until that time I kind of wondered if we would ever have the kind of business I dreamed about.  I thought it would be great to have at least 100 sales leaders in our downline.   At that time it was a thought, not a belief.

That month when we broke out number 4, something clicked in my mind.  For some reason that is when I knew that I knew we could have a large business.  I just knew it.  My belief was sky high.  I think it was because we now had four first levels and a few second levels and I felt that we have paid our dues, we have learned what it takes to build this business so now it's just a matter of having the discipline of continuing to do the right things. 

                     This business is not about who believes the fastest,

                                    it's about who believes the longest.

We never grew as fast as many people did during those years, but then I never bought into the idea that I was in a race.   I knew that I knew we were doing the right things and that we would grow.  I had the belief, now I just had to be consistent with my effort.  

How's your belief regarding the dream and goals that you have?  Has it arrived yet?  I think the example of how my belief came over two years into the business is a clue of how it might work for others.   I had belief in the products and the company very early.   But the belief in myself that I could build a large business came after a series of taking the right steps.  Major point, stick with it.  Don't give up. Be consistent with your effort.  Keep working hard.  Do the right things.   Believe me the day will come when all of a sudden you will know that you know you can have the dream you're after.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

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Learn what nutrients are especially important for woman and why. Watch from the comfort of your home and invite any of your friends to watch as well.  

 

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Find something scary

Love this!  Think about this article when you do the scary things that have created fear in this business.

It's GrOw Time

Greetings,

I subscribe to SUCCESS magazine and I received the November issue yesterday.  Darren Hardy who is the publisher wrote a interesting article and I want to share that with you.  The following are some excerpts from this article.

Darren's father, who he calls coach, told him two money rules.

Rule No. 1 -  "Find something scary.  Find something most don't have the courage to do.  The scary things pay the most."

Rule No. 2 -  " Training is always worth the price.  You don't have any money to show for it, but you got something much more valuable - important skills to use over and over.  If you continue  to apply them, you'll make millions."

Darren says, "Sure enough I have repeatedly used everything I learned that uncompensated day: overcoming objections, facing rejection, making a sale to a moving target, people skills and perseverance."

For those of us who came into this business with little or no experience, many things seemed kind of scary.  Approaching people with an idea that could change their lives is scary for some people.  Speaking in front of people, giving a presentation, follow-up, etc.   I for one am one of those persons who felt fear when I got started because I had never thought about being involved in this kind of business.   But, once I learned what this business offered, I decided if other people could do it, so could I.

How about you...ever felt fear?   It's been kind of scary at times.  But, what I learned is it's worth the effort to be an over-comer and to fight thru those scary things because once you do, your life will have been changed.

Go for it.  Fight through those scary times.   You'll never regret it.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Aging Brain

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Your Aging Brain

As we age, we can see our physical appearance changing—all we have to do is look in the mirror. However, it is not so apparent that our brains are also undergoing considerable changes. Scientific studies have shown that the size and structure of our brains are changing throughout life.1

First the bad news

If you could peek inside your brain, you would see how it is affected by the aging process. Here is what typically happens as our brains age:

• Volume decreases: Somewhere around your 20th birthday is your peak brain mass. After that your brain volume steadily declines until around age 50 when this process accelerates. It is thought that the loss of neural connections, rather than brain cells, accounts for this loss of volume.2
• Plasticity declines: Plasticity is defined as the brain’s ability to change its structure by forming new connections, deleting unused connections, and strengthening useful connections. Our plasticity typically declines as we age.
• Blood flow diminishes: Blood flow to the brain can decrease with age as a result of changes in arteries and cholesterol build-up (atherosclerosis). Decreased blood flow can rob the brain of much needed oxygen and nutrients.
• Plaque formation: Beta-amyloid plaque occurs in most people’s brains as they age. This plaque is what is thought to be responsible for the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Sleep quality deteriorates: Most people experience a decrease in sleep quality as they age. This lack of good sleep negatively affects mental functioning, including memory and cognitive skills.

Now the good news

Even though our brains are changing as we age, most older people feel that they are much smarter than when they were young (even if they lose their keys every day). Part of the reason for this is that we are always learning and that learning accumulates as we age. Yes, you are smarter than your 20-year-old son or granddaughter!

There are many positive changes that occur in the brain:

• Brain plasticity: While the trend in brain volume is downward, research demonstrates that neuroplasticity takes place well into old age. A German researcher named Janina Boyke taught elderly volunteers to juggle and noticed that their brain size increased.3 Your brain has the ability to continually grow and change as long as you continue to grow and change.4
• Problem solving: Older adults are typically better at managing money, relationships, and other problems that come up in life. The ability to problem-solve gets better as you age because you have more experience and become less emotionally tied to problems.
• Optimistic: People tend to get more optimistic as they age. When asked to record their emotional states randomly chosen each day for a week, older adults scored higher than younger adults on a test of optimism.5
• Priorities: As they age, people tend to prioritize other people more than they do jobs, money, or fame. Older adults tend to spend more time with a smaller, tighter circle of close friends and this is important because social engagement is critically important for maintaining healthy cognition.
• Knowledge increases: While you may be losing some of your cognitive skills as you age, your overall knowledge is always increasing. This means you have more tools to understand your lives and express yourself.
• Emotion: Older adults have better control over their emotions than they did when they were younger.

Your brain is going to go through a lot of changes as it ages. Many of those changes can be offset by focusing on your overall health and taking care of your brain with nutrition, exercise, and continuous learning.

---

1. Fjell AM, Walhovd KB, Fennema-Notestine C, et al. One-year brain atrophy evident in healthy aging. J Neurosci.
   2009 Dec 2;29(48):15223-31. PMID: 19955375.
2. Boyke J, Driemeyer J, Gaser C, Büchel C, May A. Training-induced brain structure changes in the elderly. J Neurosci. 2008 Jul 9;28(28):7031-5. PMID: 18614670.
3. Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, Basak C, Szabo A, Chaddock L, Kim JS, Heo S,
   Alves H, White SM, Wojcicki TR, et al. Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Feb 15;108(7):3017-22. PMID: 21282661.
4. Carstensen LL, Turan B, Scheibe S, et al. Emotional experience improves with age: evidence based on over 10 years of experience sampling. Psychol Aging. 2011 Mar;26(1):21-33. PMID: 20973600.

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Is Omega-3 Uptake Gender Specific?

This is a very interesting article on how much omega you should be using on a daily basis

Is Omega-3 Uptake Gender Specific?

Do We Need To Reexamine Everything We Thought We Knew About Omega-3s?

Dr Stephen Chaney

Some of you may remember the book from a few years ago titled “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”. The book proposed that men and women communicate differently (Who would have guessed?), and understanding that fact would help husbands and wives communicate with each other more effectively. I know that some people complained that it was an overly simplistic viewpoint, but I know it sure helped me communicate more effectively with my wife.

 

I came across a very interesting article recently that suggested the omega-3 fatty acid EPA might be metabolized and utilized differently by men and women. You might say that the statement “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” applies to omega-3 utilization as well.

The Science Behind the Study

Now that I've captured your interest, perhaps I should fill in a few details. We have known for years that the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA appear to be beneficial at reducing the risk of heart disease. There are several mechanisms for that protective effect:
 
1)     Omega-3s reduce the stickiness of platelets so that platelet aggregation, a fancy name for blood clotting, occurs less readily. Of course, we want our blood to clot when we cut ourselves, but we don't want it to clot inside our arteries, because that is the very process that can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
 
2)     Omega-3s lower triglycerides and reduce inflammation, two important risk factors for heart disease.
 
3)     Omega-3s help keep the walls of our blood vessels elastic, which enhances blood flow and reduces the risk of hypertension.

 

However, for any of those things to occur, the omega-3 fatty acids must first be incorporated into our cell membranes. Thus, it is not just how much omega-3s we get in our diet that is important. We need to know how many of those omega-3s are actually incorporated into our membranes.

 

What if the efficiency of omega-3 uptake into cellular membranes were different for men and women? That would change everything. It would affect the design of omega-3 clinical studies. It would affect omega-3 dietary recommendations for men and women. The implications of gender-specific uptake of omega-3s would be far reaching.

Is Omega-3 Uptake Gender Specific?

The authors of this week’s study (Pipingas et al., Nutrients, 6, 1956-1970, 2014) hypothesized that efficiency of omega-3 uptake might differ in men and women. They enrolled 160 participants in the study (47% male and 53& female) with an average age of 59 years. The study excluded anybody with pre-existing diabetes or heart disease and anybody who was significantly overweight. The study also excluded anyone taking drugs that might mask the effects of the omega-3 fatty acids and anybody who had previously consumed fish oil supplements or more than two servings of seafood per week.

 

This was a complex study. In this review I will focus only on the portion of the study relevant to the gender specificity of omega-3 uptake. For that portion of the study, both male and female participants were divided into three groups. The first group received 3 gm of fish oil (240 mg EPA and 240 mg DHA); the second group received 6 gm of fish oil (480 mg EPA and 480 mg of DHA); and the third group received sunflower seed oil as a placebo. The study lasted 16 weeks, and the incorporation of omega-3 fatty acids into red blood cell membranes was measured at the beginning of the study and at the end of 16 weeks.

 

When they looked at men and women combined, they found:

• A dose specific increase in EPA incorporation into red cell membranes compared to placebo. That simply means the amount of EPA that ended up in the red blood cell membrane was greater when the participants consumed 6 gm of fish oil than when they consumed 3 gm of fish oil.

• Very little incorporation of DHA into red blood cell membranes was seen at either dose. This was not unexpected. Previous studies have shown that EPA is preferentially incorporated into red cell membranes. Other tissues, such a neural tissue, preferentially incorporate DHA into their membranes.

 

When they looked at men and women separately, they found:

• The efficiency of EPA incorporation into red cell membranes compared to placebo was greater for women than for men. In women increased EPA uptake into red cell membranes was seen with both 3 gm and 6 gm of fish oil. Whereas, with men increased EPA incorporation into red cell membranes was only seen at with 6 gm of fish oil.

What Is The Significance Of These Observations?

The authors concluded “This is an important area for future research because dietary recommendations around long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake may need to be gender specific.”

 

However, there are a number of weaknesses of this study:
 
1)     It was a very small study. Obviously, this study needs to be repeated with a much larger cohort of men and women.
 
2)     This study was just looking at incorporation of omega-3s into red cell membranes. We don’t yet know whether the specificity of omega-3 uptake will be the same for other tissues. Nor do we know whether there will be gender specificity in the biological effects of omega-3s.
 
3)     Most importantly, not all previous studies have reported the same gender specificity in omega-3 uptake seen in this study.

 

So what does this mean for you? Should men be getting more omega-3 fatty acids in their diet than women, as the authors suggested? That is an intriguing idea, but based on the weaknesses I described above, I think it's premature to make this kind of recommendation until these results have been confirmed by larger studies.

The Bottom Line

1)     A recent study has suggested that women may be more efficient at incorporating the omega-3 fatty acids EPA into their cellular membranes than men. The authors of the study concluded that “…dietary recommendations around long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake may need to be gender specific.”  
2)     However, the study has a number of weaknesses:

• It was a very small study. Obviously, it needs to be repeated with a much larger cohort of men and women.

• This study was just looking at incorporation of omega-3s into red cell membranes. We don’t yet know whether the specificity of omega-3 uptake will be the same for other tissues. Nor do we know whether there will be gender specificity in the biological effects of omega-3s.

• Most importantly, not all previous studies have reported the same gender specificity in omega-3 uptake seen in this study.

3)     The idea that men and women may differ in their needs for omega-3 fatty acids is intriguing, but based on the weaknesses described above, it is premature to make this kind of recommendation until the results of the current study have been confirmed by larger studies.

 

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

Dr. Steve Chaney
Health Tips From the Professor
stevechaneytips@gmail.com
www.healthtipsfromtheprofessor.com