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Soy Product Consumption and the Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

  • 2024-03-28
  • Nutrients 16(7)
    • Chenting Wang
    • Keqing Ding
    • Xuanzhen Xie
    • Jinyue Zhou
    • Pengju Liu
    • Shuang Wang
    • Ting Fang
    • Guozhang Xu
    • Chunlan Tang
    • Hang Hong

Study Design

Type
Meta-Analysis
Sample size
n = 52
Methods
Meta-analysis of observational studies following PRISMA guidelines, searching PubMed and Web of Science up to October 2023
  • Rigorous Journal

Background

The association between soy product consumption and cancer risk varies among studies. Therefore, this comprehensive meta-analysis of observational studies examines the association between soy product consumption and total cancer risk.

Methods

This study was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Up to October 2023, all eligible published studies were searched through PubMed and Web of Science databases.

Results

A total of 52 studies on soy product consumption were included in this meta-analysis (17 cohort studies and 35 case-control studies). High consumption of total soy products (RR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.80), tofu (RR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.86), and soymilk (RR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.93) were associated with reduced total cancer risk. No association was found between high consumption of fermented soy products (RR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.47), non-fermented soy products (RR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.77, 1.18), soy paste (RR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.88, 1.14), miso soup (RR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.87, 1.12), or natto (RR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.82, 1.11) and cancer risk. A 54 g per day increment of total soy products reduced cancer risk by 11%, a 61 g per day increment of tofu reduced cancer risk by 12%, and a 23 g per day increment of soymilk reduced cancer risk by 28%, while none of the other soy products were associated with cancer risk.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that high total soy product consumption, especially soymilk and tofu, is associated with lower cancer risk. More prospective cohort studies are still needed to confirm the causal relationship between soy product consumption and cancer risk.

Research Insights

  • Soy→Reduced Cancer Risk

    a 61 g per day increment of tofu reduced cancer risk by 12%

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Small
    Dose
    61 g per day increment
  • natto→Reduced Cancer Risk

    a 61 g per day increment of tofu reduced cancer risk by 12%

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Small
    Dose
    61 g per day increment
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