Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009

The Soy Milk-y Way

Today's Lunch Break:
Early soy diet may protect against breast cancer

It has long been known that breast cancer rates in Asian women are lower than average but that the difference quickly diminishes in subsequent generations after immigration to the West (suggesting a factor other than genetics). The study above lays out strong evidence pointing to childhood soy intake as a major protective factor[1].

The primary author of the study is in my branch, and her office is three down from mine...which, yes, makes me pretty much awesome by association (like all of my other claims to awesomeness). This morning I showed her the extent of her fame on Google News.

My association to soy itself also makes me feel a little awesomer. Lara and I independently switched to soy milk a couple months before we reunited and started dating. I don't know what Lara's reasons were, but I had grown to enjoy all forms of soy while in China (tip: never say to a Chinese person that you like to eat tofu, as I mistakenly did during an English summer program), and when my friend Farris went on a soy milk kick when we were rooming together, I tried it too and have never looked back. In fact, its amazing how the taste and experience of drinking milk changes after you take an extended break from it. It helps me understand my vegetarian friends' sentiments towards meat.

So, it's a funny coincidence that Lara had also made the switch, but made more surprising if you know our previous habits. We were both the heaviest milk drinkers in our respective families (which means no protective childhood intake for us, sadly). Don't gag, but in high school I would even chug iced skim milk after an evening run in sweltering Houston.

While we're on the subject of epidemiology, you've probably read about this 500K study, which demonstrates a significant association between increased mortality and red meat consumption.

I'm OK that most Americans don't drink soy milk, but I do wish more people would lay off the beef. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love a good steak now and then. But as evidence continues to surface on the dangers of heavy meat consumption, I do hope that this oft-under-appreciated part of the Word of Wisdom will make a comeback.

[1] Studies looking at adult soy intake do not have as clear results (but generally it is still considered protective, albeit less so).