Phytoestrogen intake from foods, during adolescence and adulthood, and risk of breast cancer by estrogen and progesterone receptor tumor subgroup among Ontario women

Increased consumption of foods loaded with phytoestrogens during adolescence may protect women against breast cancer in adulthood.

This study estimated breast cancer risk associated with the ingestion of phytoestrogens from food sources. Researchers matched dietary phytoestrogen intake levels with breast cancer incidence rate in a study group made of over 5,500 women Canadian women. 

Researchers observed that women at the top of the phytoestrogen-rich foods consumption ladder from adolescence to adulthood had better odds of evading a diagnosis of breast cancer later in life. This study supports the inclusion of phytoestrogen-containing foods as part of a dietary approach for the prevention of breast cancer.