Soybean products and reduction of breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Japan K Hirose1, N Imaeda2, Y Tokudome3, C Goto3, K Wakai1, K Matsuo1, H Ito1, T Toyama4, H Iwata4, S Tokudome5 and K Tajima1 1Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, 1-1 Kanokoden Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan 2Nagoya Women's University, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8610, Japan 3Nagoya Bunri University, Inazawa 492-8520, Japan 4Department of Breast Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan 5Department of Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan Correspondence to: Dr K Hirose, E-mail: khirose@aichi-cc.jp Received 21 February 2005; revised 9 May 2005; accepted 9 May 2005; published online 7 June 2005 Components of the Japanese diet, which might contribute to the relatively low breast cancer incidence rates in Japan, have not been clarified in detail. Since soybean products are widely consumed in Japan, a case-control study taking account of the menopausal status was conducted using data from the hospital-based epidemiologic research program at Aichi Cancer Center (HERPACC). In total, 167 breast cancer cases were included and 854 women confirmed as free of cancer were recruited as the control group. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. There were reductions in risk of breast cancer associated with high intake of soybean products among premenopausal women. Compared with women in the lowest tertile, the adjusted ORs for top tertile intake of tofu (soybean curd) was 0.49 (95% CI, 0.25-0.95). A significant decrease in premenopausal breast cancer risk was also observed for increasing consumption of isoflavones (OR=0.44; 95% CI, 0.22-0.89 for highest vs lowest tertile; P for trend=0.02). The present study found a statistically inverse association between tofu or isoflavone intake and risk of breast cancer in Japanese premenopausal women, while no statistically significant association was evident with the risk among postmenopausal women. British Journal of Cancer (2005) 93, 15-22. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6602659 Published online 7 June 2005 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.