Even though many Americans are wising up to the potential health threats that soy consumption can pose, the soy industry is not going to fall easily and they will persist in their effort to prove soy has many positive health benefits.

It's important to realize, however, that this study's conclusions are not based on methods that can truly prove soy protects you from cancer.

All of the research reviewed in this study used food frequency questionnaires as their basis for information. In other words, their conclusions are based on the fact that women who got less cases of breast cancer also happened to eat more soy than other women did.

The flaw in the analysis of the study is there are a number of other lifestyle factors that could easily have accounted for the lower incidence of cancer in these women.

Since many women who choose to consume soy are doing so with the goal of better health in mind, it is very likely that they are also doing at least a few other things -- like eating more vegetables and exercising -- to improve their health.

If the women who ate less soy in this study are representative of average Americans, it is equally unlikely that they were eating grass-fed beef, organic vegetables and wild salmon instead. I would guess they were probably less health conscious overall and, in turn, eating more sugar and fast food.

The point is, even though there is a massive amount of research being done on soy these days, it is difficult to reach a definitive conclusion about its benefit, or lack thereof, in regard to preventing breast cancer. In fact, Regina Ziegler, an epidemiologist with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) had this to say about the issue:

Most of the women who are taking large amounts of soy, my impression is that they're doing it to avoid breast cancer. There's a dearth of information about different levels of soy on the risk for breast cancer. I don't want to scare people away from it, but as a scientist I can't say what levels are safe or unsafe.

Last year the Solae Company filed a Qualified Health Claim (QHC) petition with the FDA linking consumption of foods and beverages containing soy protein to a reduced risk of breast, and other hormone-related, cancers.

With the FDA -- known to have been influenced by mega corporations before -- in the midst of considering this notion, the hope is that it will not allow itself to be deceived.

This is obviously an extremely controversial issue, one whose outcome could go very far toward affecting the health of a large number of people, and the pocketbooks of a few. That is why I urge you to read the recently released book The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food. In it, author Dr. Kaayla Daniel reveals the truth about the multitude of soy myths that have infiltrated our culture.

If you are still unclear about the problems with soy, please review our Soy Index pages, which are loaded with documentation as to why you will want to reconsider the health benefits of soy.

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Why Soy Can Damage Your Health