Soy does not cause breast cancer. No matter what you read on the internet, or hear in line at the coffee shop, there is no evidence of a link between cancer and eating or drinking soy.
The suspicions about soy and breast cancer arise because soy has a plant-based form of estrogen in it. Estrogen inside a woman’s body can be linked to some breast cancers which use hormones to grow. But Krista Maruschak, a registered dietician at The Cleveland Clinic, says that this is not a cause for worry. “It does have a plant estrogen in it, but this is very different from the estrogen that is inside our bodies.”
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Even for people who have estrogen-positive breast cancer, consuming up to three servings of whole soy products a day is still OK, according to Maruschak. Because soy is a plant-based protein source, it’s perfectly healthy to incorporate into a balanced diet, especially for those who are looking to cut down on how much meat they’re eating.
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