Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
Here's an old thread on this. I'll just add that my oncologist (I had estrogen receptor negative breast cancer) prefers I stay away from all of the phytoestrogen supplements (like black cohosh and red clover), but believes that eating soy products is fine. You might also take a look at this web page for an overview of phytoestrogens and a brief discussion of how woefully little we know about them.
The other thing to remember about soy if that is you have thyroid problems, you should talk to your endocrinologist about soy. My own endocrinologist's view is, again, that soy as a food is fine as long as I don't eat it right on top of taking my Synthroid, but I know others feel differently.
I think the best way to look at this is to remember that, as Marian Burros says, food is not medicine. Eat soy if you like, don't eat soy if you don't like it, and all things in moderation.
HTH.
-------------------- [Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]