For women with breast cancer, a high intake of soy foods may be linked to a lower risk of death. That’s the key finding of a recent study of female breast cancer survivors in China.

For the study, researchers focused on 5,042 women, all of whom were diagnosed with breast cancer between March 2002 and April 2006. At a median follow-up of about 3.9 years, 444 total deaths and 534 recurrences or breast-cancer-related deaths were documented.

Analyzing data on the participants, the research team found that patients with the highest intake of soy protein had a 29 percent lower risk of death during the study period, and a 32 percent lower risk of breast cancer recurrence (compared to patients with the lowest intake of soy protein).

Soy foods contain isoflavones, estrogen-like compounds thought to offer various health benefits. Isoflavones are also found in the herbs kudzu and red clover.

Soy May Benefit Breast Cancer Patients originally appeared on About.com Alternative Medicine on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 13:14:52.