Despite all the hugely successful efforts by the big business to market the benefits of soy -- at least until recently -- all of that may change in a hurry with news of a study that found high soy consumption may be responsible for increasing a woman's risk of breast cancer.

Researchers met with more than 400 women to discuss their medical histories involving breast cancer along with how often and why they ate soy-based foods. Most of the numbers won't surprise you:

• 43 percent ate at least one soy-based food during the past month.
• 32 percent called themselves soy consumers, who ate 18 servings of such products (soymilk, soy nuts, tofu).
• 45 percent believed soy foods reduced their risk of cancer.

Here's a statistic that will: 7 percent of the women who chose not to eat soy did so because they believed these products promoted breast cancer, a warning I posted here five years ago. In fact, some said clinicians advised them not to eat soy-based foods for that reason.

Another factoid about the study that explains why the marketing of soy has been so darn effective in this country: Researchers believe the women who advocated soy consumption didn't get their information from health care professionals.

If you still have doubts about why soy -- specifically processed soy foods -- can do so much harm to your health, you'll want to read about why the Israeli Health Ministry took a strong stand about eating such foods only in moderation.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 105, No. 10, October 2005: 1552-1558

Yahoo News October 6, 2005