What foods contain estrogen? Can you eat it?

Especially for some breast cancer patients, there are many legends about this topic, and everyone is particularly concerned about two issues:

1: Does soy milk contain estrogen? Is it safe for women to drink?

2: Which foods contain estrogen?

1)      Let's answer the first question first.

The reason why soy products are questioned is because soybeans contain a substance called isoflavones, whose chemical structure is close to that of human estrogen, so it is called phytoestrogens. So if there are too many isoflavones, will it play the role of human hormones, and even cause breast cancer or ovarian cancer?

This is a very reasonable scientific question.

Fortunately, soy products are widely eaten as food around the world, and people all over the world care about it. Therefore, there is a lot of research data to examine whether soy products can cause breast cancer.

But this kind of research is not easy to do, because there are too many interference factors in the diet, you can't find two groups of people, all living habits, including diet, are the same, but one group drinks soy milk every day, and the other group does not drink at all.

Therefore, the conclusions drawn from the limited number of studies are questionable. How to do it? Big Data! The larger the number of participants and the larger the amount of data, the more reliable the conclusions may be.

Several researchers have combined decades of research across several continents, dozens of countries, and reached a consistent conclusion: The current evidence does not seem to show that soy products, in general, cause breast cancer. On the contrary, consumption of soy may also reduce the incidence of breast cancer, especially in Oriental and menopausal women. For example, a study in Japan found that menopausal women who consumed soy products (including tofu, soy milk, etc.) had a 30% lower risk of breast cancer.

Everyone who loves tofu and soy milk can breathe a sigh of relief, it's time to eat and continue to eat with confidence.

2)      To answer the second question, what foods contain estrogen?

The first thing to say is that there are very few foods that directly contain human estrogen. More often, something in the food has estrogen-like activity.

At present, there are many things suspected to be royal jelly, Korean ginseng, deer antler and so on. That's right, it's all so-called "high-end supplements." It seems that poor people also have anti-cancer functions.

Let’s talk about royal jelly first. Royal jelly contains many substances with estrogenic activity! Recent studies have found that some fatty acids in royal jelly can increase the function of estrogen. The important thing is that the content of these fatty acids in royal jelly is not low! People who have never eaten royal jelly think it will be as sweet as honey, but those who have eaten it know that it tastes sour. This sour taste comes from a large amount of fatty acids in royal jelly.

How much do the estrogenic substances in royal jelly affect humans? There is no conclusion yet, but it has been observed in clinical studies that royal jelly can change menopausal symptoms in women, indicating that the effect of royal jelly on human estrogen is not just unfounded.

Unlike royal jelly, honey does not have as many fatty acids and does not have strong estrogenic activity. Except for babies and diabetics, it's fine to eat normally.

The relationship between Korean ginseng and estrogen is also interesting. The main component of ginseng is called "ginsenoside", which itself does not have any estrogenic activity. What's the matter? The study found that the estrogen in ginseng does not come from the ginseng itself, but from the fungal contamination that attaches to the ginseng. If the ginseng is not cleaned, it may carry the estrogen-like substance these fungi contain: Mycotoxin.

The hormones in deer antler are very complex. There is not only estrogen but also androgen, but the content is relatively low. There should be no big problem if you eat a small amount. Some Chinese herbal medicines for "nourishing yin" also contain hormones.

For example, saikosaponin d in Bupleurum, and flavonoids in Eucommia ulmoides can detect estrogenic activity in vitro and in animal tests. From this point of view, it makes sense that Bupleurum and Eucommia appear in Yijing Tang, which is used to regulate women's menstruation.

Of course, the dose is the key, regardless of efficacy or toxicity.

3)      Are there any ingredients that naturally suppress estrogen?

There really is! If the composition of the food, if it can inhibit the normal synthesis of estrogen in the body, it may reduce the level of estrogen.

Aromatase is an important catalytic enzyme for the synthesis of estrogen in the body. In fact, anti-estrogen drugs such as letrozole, which are often used in breast cancer treatment, are actually aromatase inhibitors. Interestingly, in many mushrooms (shiitake, bisporus, brown mushroom, small brown mushroom, etc.), aromatase inhibitory substances have been found!

Importantly, these inhibitors in mushrooms have two very good properties, first, they are heat-resistant, and second, they are soluble in water.

This means that they can withstand the cooking process, and during the cooking process, it is easy to get into the soup. So, if mushrooms make soup, be sure to drink the soup too.

A Korean study found that if there are more mushrooms in the diet, the risk of breast cancer before menopause is significantly reduced by 65-70%. In theory, ovarian cancer is also related to estrogen. Therefore, moderate consumption of certain mushrooms is also beneficial for the prevention of ovarian cancer.

Of course, we have always emphasized that anything, no matter how good, should be in moderation. No matter how good mushrooms are, don't eat them every day.

Remember, the healthiest diet is always a balanced simple diet!