Question explored with the scientific record
Conversation so far
- 1 For someone with metastatic prostate cancer who did successful triplet therapy and is now in the fifth year from a diagnosis of high volume and PSA almost 2000 and extensive bone mets and very good PSA and other blood work and recent scans everything is zero where we want it to be zero sometimes you read about ivermectin and fenbendazole. Would they be helpful in ensuring continued success at avoiding progression? + a private exchange
- 2 good answer. maybe in terms of style I might have been happy if you turned up the rhetorical volume a little bit and had called the constant low level Buzz for these things dangerous quackery + a private exchange
- 3 is anybody using raloxifene and genestine in combination and circumstances such as myself as adjunct or add-on therapies to my existing ongoing doublet therapy of ADT and arpi + a private exchange
- 4 yeah well all those studies are for populations not for subpopulations with metastatic prostate cancer. and my understanding is that the number of estrogen receptor Alphas may have skyrocketed over a long period of time. and thus eating tofu might be dangerous. please assess
- 5 Does tofu affect PSA levels or cancer progression in men already diagnosed?
Answered on this page ↓
Does tofu affect PSA levels or cancer progression in men already diagnosed?
The evidence does not address your specific question about metastatic prostate cancer and estrogen receptor alpha upregulation over long-term tofu consumption.
The retrieved studies are all on the wrong population. One pilot study in men with prostate cancer (median PSA 13.3) found that soy isoflavone supplementation slowed the rate of PSA rise from 20% to 6% per month [5]. A randomized trial of synthetic genistein in localized prostate cancer patients before prostatectomy found PSA dropped 7.8% in the genistein arm while rising 4.4% in the placebo arm [7]. But both studied men with localized disease, not metastatic. A third study in elderly men with elevated PSA found isolated soy protein had no effect on PSA at all [6].
The cell study you are worried about tested nonylphenol, a xenoestrogen from plastics, not the isoflavones in tofu [8]. That study does not apply. No retrieved study measured estrogen receptor alpha density in prostate tissue after long-term soy consumption.
| Population | Intervention | PSA effect | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Localized prostate cancer | Soy isoflavones | Rate of rise slowed (20% to 6%) | [5] |
| Localized prostate cancer | Synthetic genistein | PSA -7.8% vs +4.4% placebo | [7] |
| Elevated PSA, no cancer | Isolated soy protein | No change in PSA | [6] |
Your concern about estrogen receptor alpha upregulation is a plausible mechanism, but the retrieved evidence contains no study that tested it in men with metastatic disease. The direction of signal in the studies that exist is protective, not harmful, but none of them match your scenario.
My call: the evidence does not support the fear, but it also does not rule it out because the right study was never done. Confidence: low for safety in metastatic disease on ADT plus ARPI.
Sources used 8
-
Indole compounds from fermented soybean products activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor to reduce liver injury
This study investigates the effects of indole compounds derived from stinky tofu on the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and their potential to mitigate alcoholic liver disease (ALD) by reducing liver injury through enhanced expression of cytochrome P450 1A1 and…
DOI: 10.1038/s41538-025-00404-z -
Borobudur revisited: Soy consumption may be associated with better recall in younger, but not in older, rural Indonesian elderly
This study investigates the association between soy consumption and cognitive function in rural Indonesian elderly, finding that higher consumption of tempeh and tofu is linked to better immediate recall in younger participants, while older participants show no significant assoc…
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.10.083 -
Effects of soy as tofu vs meat on lipoprotein concentrations
This study investigates the impact of substituting tofu for lean meat on serum lipoprotein concentrations in healthy males, revealing that the tofu diet significantly lowers total cholesterol and triglycerides but also results in a decrease in HDL-C levels.
DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600885 -
Phytoestrogen consumption and endometrial cancer risk: a population-based case–control study in New Jersey
A population-based case-control study in New Jersey (EDGE Study) assessing whether dietary phytoestrogens (isoflavones, lignans, coumestrol, and quercetin) are associated with endometrial cancer risk, finding little overall association but possible inverse effects for quercetin …
DOI: 10.1007/s10552-009-9336-9 -
Soy Isoflavones in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer
This pilot study investigates the effects of soy isoflavone supplementation on serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in prostate cancer patients, finding that while no complete or partial responses were observed, a significant number of patients experienced stabilization …
DOI: 10.1207/s15327914nc4702_1 -
THE EFFECT OF ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN ON PLASMA BIOMARKERS IN ELDERLY MEN WITH ELEVATED SERUM PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN
This study investigates the effects of isolated soy protein on plasma biomarkers, specifically cholesterol and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), in elderly men with elevated PSA levels, finding that soy protein consumption significantly reduces serum cholesterol but does not affe…
DOI: 10.1097/00005392-200101000-00082 -
Efficacy and Safety of Short-Term Genistein Intervention in Patients with Localized Prostate Cancer Prior to Radical Prostatectomy: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Phase 2 Clinical Trial
This Phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated that a short-term intervention with synthetic genistein significantly reduced serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in patients with localized prostate cancer, while also lowering total cholesterol levels without affecting hormone …
DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2011.582221 -
Nonylphenol acts on prostate adenocarcinoma cells via estrogen molecular pathways
This study demonstrates that nonylphenol (NP), a xenoestrogen, promotes proliferation and S-phase progression in human LNCaP prostate cancer cells, partly via ERα nuclear translocation and selective upregulation of cell-cycle and inflammatory genes, with NP effects distinct from…
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.05.035