Soy and isoflavones consumption and breast cancer survival and recurrence: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background Some studies have investigated the association between soy and isoflavones consumption and breast cancer survival, but the results are far from conclusive. Accordingly, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore this issue.Methods We performed a comprehensive search of Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase from inception to January 2018. The summary hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a random effects model.Results A total of 12 articles were included, which reported overall survival (OS), breast cancer specific survival (BCSS), and recurrence in 5770, 2386, and 1500 cases, respectively, among 37,275 women with breast cancer. The summary HR (95% CI) for the association (highest vs. lowest) of pre-diagnosis soy and isoflavones consumption with OS and BCSS was 0.84 (0.71-0.98) and 0.89 (0.74-1.07), respectively. Stratified analyses suggested that the reduced OS was more easily detected in studies that focused on post-menopausal patients. No significant association was found between post-diagnosis soy and isoflavones consumption with OS and BCSS, with summary HRs (95% CIs) of 0.80 (0.62-1.04) and 0.83 (0.64-1.07), respectively. Pre- and post-diagnosis soy isoflavones consumption were associated with reduced risk of recurrence.Conclusion This study provides limited evidence that pre-diagnosis soy and isoflavones intake is associated with a small reduction in post-menopausal breast cancer OS.
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A meta-analysis in 2016 and two more in 2019 suggested that soy food intake may be associated with a decrease in the risk of breast cancer and improved breast cancer survival.
“A meta-analysis in 2016 and two more in 2019 reported similar conclusions and further suggested that soy food intake may be associated with a decrease in the risk of breast cancer and improved breast cancer survival [139,140,141].”
From Plant Proteins: Assessing Their Nutritional Quality and Effects on Health and Physical Function (2020) · cites this paper as [141]
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Plant Proteins: Assessing Their Nutritional Quality and Effects on Health and Physical Function
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- Authors
- Qiu, S., & Jiang, C.
- Affiliations
- Central University of Finance and Economics (CN)
- China Institute of Sport Science (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Qiu, Shumin
- ORCID
- Qiu, Shumin
- Venue
- European Journal of Nutrition
- Published
- 2018-10-31
- Volume
- 58
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 3079-3090
- ISSN
- 1436-6207 (ISSN-L)
- 1436-6215
- OpenAlex
- W2899395846
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 4
- FWCI
- 0.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- European Journal of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Phytoestrogen effects and research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Risks and Factors
- Keywords
- soy consumption, isoflavones, breast cancer, breast cancer survival, breast cancer recurrence, overall survival, breast cancer-specific survival, postmenopausal women
- MeSH terms
- Cancer Survivors, Breast Neoplasms, Diet, Female, Humans, Isoflavones, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local, Proportional Hazards Models, Survival Analysis, Soybean Proteins
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