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Changing Hawaii
WANTED: 200 healthy, premenopausal Oahu women to participate in a two-year nutrition intervention study at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. Signing up to be
soy guinea pigMission: to learn whether eating soy products will lower the risk of getting breast cancer.
Perks: free tofu, soybeans, soy nuts, soy trail mix, soy milk, soy candy bars and a soy concentrate that can be mixed with fruit juice. Yummy, yum!
It's called the "Breast, Estrogens And Nutrition" Study or BEAN, and guess who's volunteering. I want to participate out of curiosity, fear of cancer and the selfless desire to help my fellow sisters by sacrificing this middle-aged body for science.
Oh, and for the promise of free soy candy bars, too.
To take part in this research project, spearheaded by Dr. Gertraud Maskarinec, women must satisfy eligibility requirements that include:
When all 200 subjects are signed up, they'll be divided into two factions.Being between the ages of 35-46 and still having normal menstruation.
Those in the control group will be advised how to maintain a healthy diet and to restrict fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories. They'll work with a dietician to learn how to do this.
Meanwhile, those in the experimental group (pick me, pick me!) are to eat or drink at least two servings of soy foods a day. They must also work with a dietician to keep fat intake to less than 30 percent of calories.
Both can participate in bimonthly group meetings, much like the support gatherings at Weight Watchers, and may attend cooking demonstrations. The experimental subjects will have the additional duty of logging their daily soy intake, but they will get handy soy cookbooks to help provide variety.
Dr. Maskarinec is looking into this issue because breast cancer rates are considerably lower -- four to six times -- in Japan and China than in Western countries. This points to the possible protective factor of soy, which is consumed at higher levels in these Asian cultures than in the U.S.
What better place to test this out than in Hawaii, halfway between the Far East and West?
HERE'S one more reason I'm volunteering for this study: It's a form of rebellion. Remember that controversial tofu study by the Pacific Health Research Institute late last year?
Its results showed a significant statistical relationship for Japanese-American men eating between two or more servings of tofu a week and "accelerated brain aging." Even an association with Alzheimer's disease!
This announcement caused great concern in the islands. It led to a drop in business for manufacturers of the popular soy product and bad jokes like, "I can't remember if I ate my tofu today."
Oh, for heaven's sake. Tofu is our friend! It tastes good and it's good for ya. Other research has shown a high-soy diet may protect against heart disease and osteoporosis, may lower cholesterol levels and reduce the chances of getting cancer.
Mmm, mmm. I can just taste that snack of soy trail mix and soy milk now. Other aspiring guinea pigs can call research associate Casey L. Robbins at 586-2997 or send e-mail to her at caseyr@crch.hawaii.edu.
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
dchang@starbulletin.com, or by fax at 523-7863.