Soy Foods May Slow Development of Prostate Cancer American men are almost five times as likely to die from prostate cancer as Japanese men. This prompts speculation that soyfoods such as tofu, commonly consumed in Japan, may reduce prostate cancer risk. Experimental evidence supports this, according to a presentation by Dr. Mark Messina, at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American College of Nutrition, held in Washington, DC, October 1999. An earlier study found similar results for Japanese men living in Hawaii who ate tofu.
Soybeans are a unique source of phytochemicals, or chemicals found in plants, called isoflavones.
Hundreds of laboratory studies have found that isoflavones directly inhibit the growth of different types of cancer cells. Recently, soybean isoflavones were found to markedly inhibit prostate tumors in mice implanted with prostate cancer cells. Other research indicates isoflavones are concentrated in prostate tissue, providing further support for the notion that soyfoods may reduce prostate cancer risk. Isoflavones appear to work against prostate cancer in at least two ways. First, they initiate a process called apoptosis, a sort of cancer cell suicide.