Dr. Weeks’ Comment: There is much misunderstanding and careless assessment of soy as regards its effect on cancers. Science is neither a business nor are its pronouncements justly accomplished by consensus: science is a methodology and as such its outcomes do not need to popular or profitable to be true. Many research is disruptive to income streams and engines of commerce but a real scientist is true to the process and follows the data. Spin meisters – so ubiquitous in politics and business (marketing) have no place in science. But sadly, wen they muck up scientific waters, people die needlessly. Soy lets tuen a scientific eye to soy and its effect on cancer.
POINT TO CONSIDER:
1) Soy stimulates estrogen receptor Beta and not estrogen receptor alpha. That is important because when you stimulate estrogen receptor alpha you promote cancer but when you stimulate estrogen receptor beta you suppress cancer. (Read that again until you understand it.)
2) fermented soy (tempe, miso and Haelan 951 etc.) is more beneficial than soy milk or eating soy bean. Preparations like Haelan 951 have been analyzed and their anti-cancer benefits have been scientifically validated.
3) most soy products are not organic and are GMO (genetically modified) and these are to be AVOIDED. Eat only organic and non-GMP soy.
4) Soy has a fragment lunasin which is well studied and is specifically anti-cancer by it chromatin binding affinity (see below)
According to SOY LABS:
Soy contains a variety of phytochemicals with demonstrated anticancer activity, including proteaseinhibitors, phytate, phytosterols, saponins, and isoflavones. Soybeans also contain bioactive proteins that exhibit anticancer activity including lectins and the most recently discovered peptide lunasin.
By its involvement in allowing or denying access to genes for transcription, acetylation is pivotal in the process of turning genes on and off.
Lunasin has a binding affinity for regions of nucleosomes that are not fully acetylated.
The negatively charged amino acids of Lunasin have a natural attraction to positively charged amino acid in histones. During acetylation, the positive charge on histones is neutralized. When this occurs, genes involved in cell proliferation (e.g. oncogenes) are “turned on” or activated, resulting in tumors or cancer. Lunasin can bind to hypoacetylated histones (histones that still have the positive charge) in different regions of chromosomes, blocking or preventing their acetylation. This blocking action helps keep cancer related genes switched “off”.
The chromatin binding affinity of Lunasin is believed to be the underlying mechanism responsible for the cancer-preventing property of Lunasin. A series of studies strongly suggests that chromatin modification is linked with tumor suppression pathways. When delivered to the proper target tissue Lunasin may play a role in preventing or “silencing” the expression of genes that lead to tumor formation, intervening primarily at the initiation and promotion-and possibly other stages of carcinogenesis.
(excerpted from Soy Labs LLC here )