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Doubts Cloud Rosy News on Soy

By Marian Burros

New York Times reporter Marian Burros has entered the soy debate with her article "Doubts Cloud Rosy News on Soy" which appeared in the New York Times on 26 January 2000. The complete article can be downloaded at great expense (US$2.50) from the NYT website; it is well worth the read.

In her article Burros reports that:

"There may be an increased risk of cancer associated with consuming the components of soy called isoflavones in supplement form, particularly for post-menopausal women; and for these women, there may also be hazards in adding soy foods to their diets".

"Not one of the 18 scientists interviewed for this column was willing to say that taking isoflavones was risk free".

One of the scientists Burros interviewed was Dr Margo Woods, associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. A specialist in nutrition and breast cancer Wood stated that "I would not recommend to anyone that they take isoflavones''.

And even ultra pro-soy researchers, such as Dr Stephen Barnes, appear to be having second thoughts. Barnes is reported as recommending that people examine their family history before eating soy. He says "If there is premature cardiac death, it may be worthwhile to eat soy. If you've got breast cancer in the family, I wouldn't advise it, because we don't know. There is enough evidence out there to raise concerns.''

SOS advice: Forget the family history search! Avoid soy in excess and avoid isoflavone supplements altogether.