Relationship of hepatocellular carcinoma to soya food consumption: A cohort‐based, case‐control study in Japan

Abstract

To determine if the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is reduced by consumption of soya foods, we conducted a case-control study within a cohort of Japanese A-bomb survivors. We compared the prediagnosis consumption of isoflavone-rich miso soup and tofu to HCC risk, adjusting for hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viral infections, the major HCC risk factors in this population. The study included 176 pathologist-confirmed cases of HCC diagnosed in 1964-1988 and 560 controls who died of diseases other than liver cancer. We examined dietary information collected at least 2 years before diagnosis or death and tissue-based measures of viral hepatitis. Using logistic regression, crude ORs were 0.5 (95% CI 0.29-0.95) and 0.5 (95% CI 0.20-0.99) for high vs. low miso soup and tofu intake, respectively. Adjusting for year of birth, sex, HBV, HCV and other factors, the OR for miso soup was unchanged at 0.5 (95% CI 0.14-1.55), and miso results were similar when ORs were recalculated separately for earlier and later birth cohorts to assess consistency of results. The adjusted OR for tofu was 0.9 (95% CI 0.20-3.51). We also found a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) interaction between sex and HCV, with risk of HCC being substantially higher for women. We conclude that consumption of miso soup and other soya foods may reduce HCC risk. ' 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Flavonoid intake and liver cancer: a case–control study in Greece

“…An inverse association with HCC was also suggested for dietary intake of miso soup and tofu, that is soya foods rich in isoflavones, in a case-control study from Japan [29]. To our knowledge, however, no epidemiological study has examined the relation between flavonoid intake and HCC risk.…”

Effect of pH on the properties of soy protein–pectin complexes

“…Furthermore, epidemiological and clinical studies suggest that a low incidence of certain cancers is associated with a diet rich in soy (Badger, Ronis, Simmen, & Simmen, 2005;Messina, Nagata, & Wu, 2006;Sharp et al, 2005;Hamilton-Reeves, Rebello, Thomas, Kurzer, & Slaton, 2008). These observations are prompting the development of new applications and technologies to produce soy protein ingredients that can be used in a wider range of human foods.…”

Dietary flavonoid, lignan and antioxidant capacity and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition study

“…A Japanese cohort-based, case-control study has shown an inverse relationship between soy consumption, the main food source of isoflavones and HCC. 6 In contrast, a Japanese cohort study has found a significant positive association between genistein or daidzein and HCC in women, but not among men. 40 However, the consumption of isoflavones in the Japanese population on average is 25 times higher than in the EPIC cohort.…”

“…3,5 Several epidemiological studies suggest the potential protective effect of certain food groups, such as coffee, fruits and vegetables, tea and soya products, against the development of HCC. 3,6,7 All of these foods are abundant sources of dietary antioxidant compounds, particularly polyphenols, 8 which may play a role in HCC pathophysiology.…”