A recent study by the researchers at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., has revealed that soy foods - which have become increasingly popular in the US of late - if consumed in ‘moderate’ amounts, can help in lowering the risk of breast cancer recurrence and subsequent death.

The study, published in the December 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, further said that soy may also reduce the risk of death even in women with estrogen receptor- positive cancers as well as women taking tamoxifen.

The research, led by Dr. Xiao Ou Shu, a professor of medicine and a cancer epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University, observed over 5,000 Chinese women, aged between 20 and 75 years, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer during 2002-2006 period.

Upon gathering information about their cancer diagnosis, treatment undergone, diet, and post-diagnosis disease progression, the researchers found that women with the highest soy consumption reported a 32 percent lesser risk of cancer recurrence and 29 percent reduced risk of death, vis-à-vis their counterparts who had a daily soy intake of less than 5.3 grams.

Commenting on the benefit of the study for breast cancer survivors, Shu said: “Our findings are important because, nowadays, it's very difficult to avoid soy exposure. Soy flour and soy protein has been added to many foods in this country. Women may consume it and not even know it.”