Diet Facts: Does Soy Cause Cancer?

Fitness experts and health conscious individuals switched to tofu as their meat replacement. Though opted as a healthier option, studies suggest that it causes cancer.

It's been a long argument as to whether tofu, which is processed soy, caused cancer or not. Several experts suggest that tofu should not be considered as a health food due to its cancer-causing properties.

"Unlike in Asia where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities-protein and oil. There's nothing safe or natural about this," Dr. Daniel tells Real Farmacy. "Today's high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents."

Several health risks are being linked to processed soy. It was mentioned that tofu contains processed and fractionated ingredients. One of the biggest health risks that are being looked up is breast cancer.

According to Prevention, tofu may "potentially" increase cancer risk, but there is no need to eliminate tofu of your diet. In a study published in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the co-author of the study, Jacqueline Bromberg MD stated that soy food can only influence the behavior of the breast cancer among individuals who already acquired it.

"Our study simply says that [after taking] large amounts of soy for a short period of time, a subgroup of patients who had high levels of the soy metabolite genistein had an increase in the expression of genes involved in the growth of tumor cells," says Bromberg. "But that did not translate to an increase in actual growth."

It is not necessary to totally eliminate tofu consumption. Experts suggest however that it should be eaten in moderation.