five percent said they believed soy foods reduced cancer risk. Among the women who did not eat soy, 7 percent said it was because the plant estrogens in soy foods could promote breast cancer, and some said a clinician had instructed them not to eat soy foods for this reason. "Given that high levels of soy intake might increase breast cancer risk, our findings highlight the need for clear, consistent messages regarding the health benefits or risks of consuming soy foods, particularly in the context of cancer risk," Fang and her team write. They note that women who believed soy had cancer-preventing properties were less likely to have gotten their information from health care professionals than women who didn't consume soy because of a potential cancer link. "Thus, health professionals should take an active role in communicating and clarifying such information to patients, consumers, and public information/media channels," the researchers write. "The message...may simply be that we do not have enough information yet to make an informed judgment. Be that as it may, consistent health messages from all sources should help to prevent further misinformation," they conclude.
