Why does soybean have anticancer effect?

Objective: To introduce the research progress of anti-cancer effect of soybean isoflavone at home and abroad. Methods: According to the literature at home and abroad, it was sorted out and summarized. Results: The anticancer effect, mechanism, metabolism and toxicology of soybean isoflavone were reviewed. Conclusion: Soybean isoflavone has certain anti-cancer effect, and the research in this field is helpful to find new anti-cancer drugs.

There are obvious differences in cancer incidence between eastern and western countries. For example, the incidence of breast cancer and prostate cancer in the United States is 4 ~ 10 times that in Southeast Asia, especially in the first generation of Asian immigrants, the incidence rate is still low, but it is obviously higher in the second generation of immigrants. It has long attracted the attention of many researchers. This phenomenon suggests that people's living habits and food factors have an important influence on the occurrence of tumors. Troll et al. reported for the first time in 1980 that adding bean products to animal experiments can reduce the incidence of X-ray-induced breast cancer in rats. In this paper, the research progress of anti-cancer effect of soybean isoflavone at home and abroad in recent 10 years is reviewed. Anti-cancer effect of 1

In 1994, Messina et al. [1] summarized many research reports on the influence of soybean food on cancer risk, including epidemiological studies and animal carcinogenesis experiments. Among them, 65%( 17/26) animal experimental reports suggested that soybean or soybean products were related to the inhibition of chemically induced tumors.

Barnes et al. [2] proved that soybean protein extract can inhibit the tumorigenesis of SD rat breast cancer model induced by dimethylphenylanthrene, including reducing the number of tumors and prolonging the incubation period, but the incidence rate does not decrease. However, soybean protein extracted with ethanol has no such inhibitory effect. On the contrary, ethanol extract has inhibitory effect, which indicates that effective anticancer/anticancer components exist in ethanol extract.

The study on animal carcinogenesis model of genistein, one of soybean isoflavones, proved that genistein is one of the effective anticancer components in soybean. For example, the biological index of inhibiting carcinogen-induced precancerous lesions is abnormal rectal pouch formation [3]; Inhibition of DMBA-TPA-induced skin cancer incidence, tumor number and tumor size [4]; Reduce the incidence, number and size of breast cancer induced by DMBA and prolong the incubation period [5]. Animal experiments show that genistein can obviously prolong the incubation period, rather than prevent the formation and occurrence of tumors [6].

Animal experiments and epidemiological studies show that the anti-cancer effect of soybean products/isoflavones involves a variety of tumors, such as human gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Experimental animals include breast cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer and skin cancer. Studies have shown that isoflavones only inhibit adenocarcinoma in lung cancer, but not all types. Some studies have also shown that in the same study, this protective effect has significant differences for some people, but there is no difference for another group.