Soybean products and reduction of breast cancer risk: a case–control study in Japan

Components of the Japanese diet, which might contribute to the relatively low breast cancer incidence rates in Japan, have not been clarified in detail. Since soybean products are widely consumed in Japan, a case–control study taking account of the menopausal status was conducted using data from the hospital-based epidemiologic research program at Aichi Cancer Center (HERPACC). In total, 167 breast cancer cases were included and 854 women confirmed as free of cancer were recruited as the control group. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. There were reductions in risk of breast cancer associated with high intake of soybean products among premenopausal women. Compared with women in the lowest tertile, the adjusted ORs for top tertile intake of tofu (soybean curd) was 0.49 (95% CI, 0.25–0.95). A significant decrease in premenopausal breast cancer risk was also observed for increasing consumption of isoflavones (OR=0.44; 95% CI, 0.22–0.89 for highest vs lowest tertile; P for trend=0.02). The present study found a statistically inverse association between tofu or isoflavone intake and risk of breast cancer in Japanese premenopausal women, while no statistically significant association was evident with the risk among postmenopausal women

A prospective cohort study of soy product intake and stomach cancer death

The relationship between intake of soy products and death from stomach cancer was examined in a community-based prospective study of Japanese men and women in Takayama, Japan. Over 7 years of follow-up, 121 deaths from stomach cancer (81 men and 40 women) occurred among 30 304 (13 880 men and 16 424 women) participants who were at least 35 years of age. Diet including the intake of soy products and isoflavones was assessed by a validated semiquantitative food–frequency questionnaire at the beginning of the study. In men, the highest compared to the lowest tertile of total soy product intake was significantly inversely associated with death from stomach cancer after controlling for covariates (hazard ratios=0.50; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.26-0.93, P for trend=0.03). Decreased hazard ratios for the highest compared to the lowest tertiles of total soy product intake (hazard ratios=0.49; 95% CI 0.22–1.13) was observed in women, although this association was of marginal significance. These data suggest that soy intake may reduce the risk of death from stomach cancer

Diet, vegetarian food and prostate carcinoma among men in Taiwan

In a case–control study in a veterans hospital in Taiwan, we compared 237 histology-confirmed prostate carcinoma cases with 481 controls, frequency matched by age, for their consumption of vegetarian food, namely soybean products, rice, wheat protein and other vegetables. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a significant association with such food (odds ratio (OR)=0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.47, 0.94). This beneficial effect presented for men with body mass index (BMI) ⩽25 kg m−2 (OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.32, 0.76) but not for men with greater BMI. The OR of prostate carcinoma for men with BMI ⩽25 kg m−2 was 1.74 (95% CI=1.21, 2.51), compared with men with higher BMI (>25 kg m−2). Other significant risk factors associated with the disease included higher income (OR=2.40, 95% CI=1.07, 5.42), physical activity (OR=1.75, 95% CI=1.08, 2.83), being married (OR=2.49, 95% CI=1.40, 4.43) and coffee consumption (OR=1.88, 95% CI=1.07, 3.30). Stratified analysis also showed that the consumption of fish/shellfish had an adverse association for men with higher BMI. This study suggests that the intake of the low fat local vegetarian food has a protective effect against prostate carcinoma for thin men in this study population

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an Autoimmune Disease Triggered by Proteus Urinary Tract Infection

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and disabling polyarthritic disease, which affects mainly women in middle and old age

Presence of Caffeic Acid in Flaxseed Lignan Macromolecule

Phenolic compounds were extracted from defatted flaxseeds using ethanol-dioxane (1:1, v/v). The crude extract obtained was purified using Amberlite XAD-16 column chromatography with water and methanol as mobile phases. RP-HPLC and SE-HPLC showed a lignan macromolecule (LM) as a dominant phenolic compound in the purified extract. After the alkaline hydrolysis of LM caffeic acid glucoside (CaAG) was isolated using a semi-preparative HPLC and its structure was confirmed by LC-ESI-MS. In LM of the investigated flaxseed, one molecule of caffeic acid corresponded with five molecules of p-coumaric acid and two molecules of ferulic acid. The presence of caffeic acid in the lignan molecule might be very beneficial due to its high antioxidant activity