Ever since the differences in diets and in certain cancer rates were noted for Western
and Asian populations, consumption of soyfoods has been suggested as a health
promoting factor.69 In cancers other than stomach cancer, the role of soyfood is more
hopeful, especially in breast cancer, although epidemiologic data has been mostly
inconsistent and inconclusive.70 Also no conclusive epidemiological evidence links
the consumption of legumes and the reduction of cancer.71 It is interesting to note
two recent population-based case-control studies conducted in Shanghai. Originally,
breast cancer risk was shown to be a weak inverse relationship to overall soyfood
intake, albeit not statistically significant one.72 The same Shanghai study, however,
was analyzed for the soyfood intake during adolescence and the later development
Korean Fermented Foods of breast cancer, and a strong inverse correlation was observed, in both pre- and
postmenopausal women.73 There appears to be an age specific protection mechanism
against breast cancer, which was not recognised in most of previous studies (see Section
12.3 of this chapter for futher discussion).