you DEFINITELY ARE what you eat! soy milk consumption and nipple fluid contents

[Lani]

Eur J Cancer Prev. 2008 Feb;17(1):67-70.
The relation of soy intake and isoflavone levels in nipple aspirate fluid.

Maskarinec G, Hebshi S, Custer L, Franke AA.
Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Given the possible breast cancer preventive effects of isoflavones, substances with an estrogen-like structure occurring in soybeans, it is of interest to assess levels directly in the breast. The objective of this pilot study was to measure isoflavones in nipple aspirate fluid. In a pilot study with 11 women, nipple aspirate fluid and urine samples were collected at baseline and after 1 month of consuming two servings of soymilk per day. In a parallel investigation, one woman donated nipple aspirate fluid, blood, and urine on the same day after consuming different amounts of soy for 9 days. Nipple aspirate fluid was collected with an aspirator, diluted 1 : 11, and stored at -20 degrees C. Isoflavonoids in nipple aspirate fluid, serum, and urine were liquid-liquid extracted after enzymatic hydrolysis followed by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization high resolution tandem mass spectrometry analysis using triply C labeled internal isoflavonoid standards. After the 30-day soy intervention, median nipple aspirate fluid yield changed very little (P=0.47), whereas urinary isoflavonoid excretion (P=0.04) and isoflavonoid levels in nipple aspirate fluid (P=0.12) increased substantially. For the nine samples collected in one participant, isoflavonoids measured in nipple aspirate fluid, plasma, and urine were highly correlated with the number of daily soy servings and with each other. This pilot study indicates that isoflavonoids in nipple aspirate fluid are 10 times lower than in plasma and are closely related to levels of isoflavonoids in urine and plasma. These findings show that isoflavonoids are present in breast fluid and may act directly on breast tissue.
PMID: 18090913 [PubMed - in process]

[suzan w]

and how would this impact estrogen + breast cancers??? should one avoid soy? Thanks for this informative post, Lani! You are a wealth of info!!! Much appreciated!!!

[CLTann]

I don't think there is any dispute about what you eat/drink will be part of your body. The key question, still not answered, is whether the isoflavornoids are cancer supporters. Even though many of us are now on various type of hormone suppressors, we have yet to be concretly shown that the correlation is clear and definite. If I am not correct in my statement, please point out the errors so that all of us can benefit. Thanks.

[BonnieR]

I am still confused about the benefits/risks of eating soy products. Can anyone clarify for me? I remember when I was diagnosed the doctor said it was a gray area......

[Lani]

if you go to the yellow bar above the blue bar above and click on the search function and out in soy I am sure you will find a lot of posts on soy.

It may be helpful (or at least not harmful--dosage/amount has not been worked out yet) for Her2+ER-s but the estrogen like properties of some components of soy are felt to make soy products contraindicated in her2+ER+ patients.

The answer is REALLY NOT KNOWN. Read the articles yourself and determine if the evidence either way is strong enough for you.