Sunday Dec 21, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Eating tofu and other soy foods regularly may help prevent colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women, a new study published in the Dec 10, 2008 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests.

The study led by Yang G and colleagues of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine showed that postmenopausal women who had the highest intake of soy food were 33 percent less likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

The study involved 68,412 women aged 40 to 70 years who were free of cancer and diabetes at enrollment.   Soy intake was surveyed at baseline using a food frequency questionnaire and participants were followed for an average 6.4 years.    321 incident colorectal cancer cases were identified during the follow-up.

After adjusting potential confounding factors, the researchers found total soy food intake was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk.   But the inverse association was primarily confined to postmenopausal women.

Specifically, each 5-g per day of dry soy foods equivalent to about 1 oz or 28.35 g tofu per day was associated with an 8 percent reduction in the colorectal cancer risk.

The highest risk reduction, 33 percent, was found in postmenopausal women who had the highest intake of soy foods compared to those who had the lowest intake.

The researchers concluded that consumption of soy foods may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women.