Soy sauce exhibits anticarcinogenic effects. Giving diets containing soy
sauce to mice inhibit benzo[a]pyrene (BP)-induced forestomach neoplasia. The anticarcinogenic
compounds in soy sauce were identified. The flavor components of Japanese style fermented soy
sauce, such as 4-hydroxy-2(or 5)-ethyl-5(or 2)-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (HEMF), which is a characteristic
flavor component of Japanese style fermented soy sauce and 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-
3(2H)-furanone (HDMF) and 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (HMF) exhibit antioxidant activities
and anticarcinogenic effects on BP-induced mice forestomach neoplasia when fed following
carcinogen exposure. The feeding of a diet containing 10% soy sauce to male C3H mice for
13 months also reduces the frequency and multiplicity of spontaneous liver tumors. HDMF and
HEMF also exhibit anticataract effects in the spontaneous cataract rat (ICR/f rat).