​Breast cancer is less likely to occur in women who consistently consumed soy foods during their adolescent life.
This study evaluated the association between the consumption of soy foods during adolescent life and the likelihood of developing breast cancer in adult life. Researchers followed 3015 Chinese women and compared their soy food intake at age 13 to 15 years with breast cancer incidence rates at adult life.
Researchers discovered that both premenopausal and postmenopausal women who frequently consumed soy foods during their adolescent life exhibited lower risk of breast cancer than their counterparts who ate little or no soy foods at the same age. The results of this study show that increased intake of soy foods in adolescence may help inhibit the onset of breast cancer in later life.