I heard that you can’t drink soy milk when you have fibroids or breast enlargement, is it true? There are often patients and friends who have the opinion that you should not drink soy milk or eat soy products if you have fibroids or lobular enlargement of the breast, and even some doctors believe the same. Why? Their explanation is that soy products contain soy isoflavones, which are phytoestrogens. The two diseases are related to excess estrogen, which is why there is a tendency for fibroids to grow faster and breast enlargement to develop into breast cancer if you eat more soy products. Is this statement correct? My answer is: NO! Let’s first understand what is phytohormone? How is it different from estrogen? Many people think that the word “plant” makes them feel safer. Is this true? Phytoestrogens are non-steroidal compounds that occur naturally in plants and have weak estrogenic effects by binding with low affinity to estrogen receptors. The so-called weak estrogen-like effect means that the activity is very low, equivalent to only 1/100 to 1/1000 of what we usually refer to as human estrogen, and at such a low dose, it would be too small for therapeutic use. In addition to soy isoflavones in soybeans, lignans in lentils and cereals and coumarins in soybean sprouts are also phytoestrogens, as well as Pueraria Mirifica and flaxseed, which also contain phytoestrogens. The effects of phytoestrogens Phytoestrogens have a two-way regulatory effect, in short, when the body is deficient in estrogen, it can increase the level of estrogen; and when the body is high in estrogen, it can limit the normal binding of estrogen and estrogen receptors in the body to a certain extent, which is equivalent to reducing the role of estrogen in the body. Evidence from evidence-based medicine shows that the intake of soy products does not increase the risk of uterine fibroids and breast enlargement, but on the contrary, it reduces the risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer. So, from now on, feel free to eat soy products, including drinking soy milk. Can phytoestrogens treat perimenopausal syndrome? The main effect of commercially available soy isoflavones written is: to relieve perimenopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Some scholars have also conducted research on this topic and have shown that phytoestrogens can provide some relief from perimenopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, mild to moderate vaginal dryness, and cardiovascular protection (but this is related to the protein in soy, not the action of phytoestrogens). Note the description “some relief”, which means that if the symptoms are mild and you are afraid of hormone replacement therapy and have many concerns, or if you are unable to use hormone replacement therapy because of contraindications, you can also try using phytoestrogens, which have limited effects because of the low dose of estrogen. Warm Tips 1. It is not recommended to use soy isoflavone drugs or supplements to supplement phytoestrogens. It is recommended to take dietary supplements, i.e. consume 30 to 50 grams of soybeans or equivalent soy products daily to achieve the same effect. Because it only slightly increases estrogen levels in the body, it can only alleviate perimenopausal symptoms to a certain extent. 2. For those with severe perimenopausal symptoms, first assess whether there are any contraindications to the use of hormone replacement therapy. Pelvic ultrasound and breast ultrasound, as well as cervical cancer screening can be routinely done, and if there are no contraindications normally, hormone replacement therapy is recommended to be preferred. 3. Finally, repeat again: eating more soy products will not aggravate the growth of fibroids and breast enlargement, much less cause cancer, but will reduce the risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer.