Highlights
Nutritional supplements and extracts like Soy Bean have benefits and are used by cancer patients and those at-genetic risk of cancer. There is limited or hardly any clinical data available for use of nutritional supplements and foods in cancer patients. Generating clinical evidence of efficacy for cancer through a randomized clinical trial is further infeasible due to variations in genetics and cancer chemotherapy treatments across cancer patients. Hence a different and new approach is needed to find out for which cancers you should not take Soy Bean supplement and why should not take them?
Is it okay to take Soy Bean extracts or supplements for all cancer indications and any chemotherapy treatment? A common belief but a myth is that everything natural can only be of benefit and do no harm. For example, the use of grapefruit with certain medications is not recommended. Another example is the use of spinach with some blood thinning medications can cause adverse interactions and hence to be avoided. For cancer, nutrition including plant-based foods and supplements can influence outcomes and hence an extremely important decision which needs to be made. Hence NIH-National Cancer Institute has a website for nutrition for cancer care for patients which are generalized recommendations and not personalized for cancer indication and treatments.
A frequently asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk is “What Foods and Nutritional Supplements could be beneficial over others for me?”. “Who should not take an extract or supplement and why?”. Generic guidelines like eating only plant-based-foods or avoiding all sugar or adopting a keto diet is a good start but not actionable and personalized enough.
To find answers to questions on extracts and nutritional supplements and foods requires knowledge of contained active ingredients; genetic mutation prevalence for cancer indication; understanding of underlying cancer biology; chemotherapy treatments and mechanism of actions of active ingredients.
Taking Soy Bean extracts or nutritional supplements may benefit Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor patients on Radiation treatment over Boneset nutritional supplements. But Soy Bean supplements or Soy Bean extracts offer less benefit if on Radiation treatment for Primary Extramammary Paget Disease compared to Rutin. Similarly, taking nutritional supplements Soy Bean may benefit healthy individuals who are at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene GNA11 over Allspice. But avoid nutritional supplements Soy Bean when at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene FLT3.
The takeaway being – cancer, genomics, treatments and other personalized factors will influence decision making to questions like: Are extracts or nutritional supplements Soy Bean beneficial and should not be taken? Why should Soy Bean be not taken? Who should not take Soy Bean? What are side effects of Soy Bean with Radiation chemotherapy? What are the benefits of Soy Bean for cancer? Can Soy Bean help fight cancer and so on.
Whenever there are changes in chemotherapy treatments or cancer tissue genetics – the nutrition may change and hence needs to be re-evaluated. Do consider factors like cancer indication, ongoing chemotherapy treatments and nutritional supplements, age, gender, weight, height, lifestyle and genetics for personalization of nutrition.
Brief Overview
Use of nutritional supplements – vitamins, herbs, minerals, probiotics, and other specialty categories are increasing. Supplements are high concentrations of active ingredients which are also found in different foods. Difference between supplements and foods being that foods contain more than one active ingredient at much lower concentrations. Every active ingredient in an extract or nutritional supplement or food has a unique mechanism of action which can influence nutrition decisions.

These are some example questions which nutrition planning should help answer for you. Should you take supplements Soy Bean? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene GNA11? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene FLT3? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Extramammary Paget Disease? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor? Should you take it when on Radiation treatment? Should you continue taking it if you change your treatment from Radiation to Radiation? So a general explanation like – it is organic and plant-based or it increases immunity is not sufficient information for making a decision of use of Soy Bean extracts and nutritional supplements.
Cancer
Genetic variations across cancer patients can be different and hence no two cancers are alike. The improved availability of “personalized to genetics” chemotherapy treatments and cancer disease monitoring via blood and saliva have been significant factors to improve outcomes. The earlier the lifestyle and treatment intervention – the better the influence on outcome. Genetic testing has the potential to assess cancer risk and susceptibility early. But for at-risk individuals besides regular monitoring in most cases there are no therapeutic treatment intervention options available. After diagnosis with cancer such as Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor or Primary Extramammary Paget Disease, the treatments get personalized to tumor genomics and factors like staging of disease, age and gender. During cancer remission (after treatment cycle is complete) – monitoring is used for assessment of any relapse and accordingly decide on next steps. A large majority of cancer patients and those at-risk may take nutritional supplements like Soy Bean.
So the question is that are all genetic risks and cancer indications to be considered uniformly when making decisions on the use of Soy Bean extracts or nutritional supplements? Are the biochemical pathway implications of genetic risk for cancer due to mutation of gene GNA11 the same as due to mutation of gene FLT3? Are the implications of Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor the same as Primary Extramammary Paget Disease? Is it one and the same if you are on treatment with Radiation or Radiation?
Soy Bean – An Extract or Nutritional Supplement
Soybean, also known as Soya bean, is a high protein plant which belongs to the legume/pea family and is native to East Asia. However, it is now widely used all over the the world. Soy milk, Tofu, Soy sauce, and Soybean oil are some examples of soy products. Taking soybean may help improve bone health. However, its use can lead to side effects in some people which include:
- Certain allergic reactions
- Impact thyroid function
- Diarrhea
Soy Bean supplements contain many active ingredients including Vitamin K, Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Aescin and D-glucose at different concentration levels. The molecular pathways which are regulated by Soy Bean include Notch Signaling, PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, RUNX Signaling and Phospholipase Signaling. These biochemical pathways directly or indirectly regulate specific cancer molecular endpoints like growth, spread and death of cancer cells. Because of this biological regulation – for cancer nutrition, the right choice of supplements like Soy Bean individually or in combination is an important decision to be made. When making decisions on the use of supplement Soy Bean over other nutritional supplements – do consider all these factors.
Who Should not take Soy Bean Supplements and Why?
There is no easy way to answer the question “For which cancers should I not chooseSoy Bean nutritional supplements”. Just like the same chemotherapy treatment does not work across patients, for similar reasons Soy Bean in comparison with other nutritional supplements may be beneficial or not. Along with which cancer and associated genetics – the ongoing treatments, lifestyle habits, height, weight and food allergies are all factors in deciding if Soy Bean should be avoided or not and why.
1. Will Soy Bean Supplements benefit Primary Extramammary Paget Disease patients undergoing Radiation treatment?
Primary Extramammary Paget Disease is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like ERBB2, H3-3A and MYCL leading to biochemical pathway changes in PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, Growth Factor Signaling and MAPK Signaling. A cancer treatment like Radiation works through a specific pathway mechanism of action. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach which is effective. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which has a contrary effect to the treatment or reduces the overlap should be avoided. As an example, Soy Bean supplement should not be taken for Primary Extramammary Paget Disease along with treatment Radiation. Soy Bean supplement impacts the biochemical pathway called PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling which either promotes drivers of the disease and/or nullifies the treatment effect. Some of the factors which should be considered when choosing nutrition are type of cancer, treatments and supplements being taken currently (if any
2. Will Soy Bean Supplements benefit Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor Patients undergoing Radiation Treatment?
Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like ASXL1, DNMT3A and MYCN leading to biochemical pathway changes in Notch Signaling, Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics, Suppressive Histone Methylation, Focal Adhesion and Cell Cycle. A cancer treatment like Radiation works through specific pathway mechanisms. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which supports treatment action or improves the overlap should be considered. As an example, Soy Bean supplements should be considered for Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor along with the treatment Radiation. Soy Bean supplement impacts pathways/processes like Notch Signaling which either obstruct drivers of Primary High-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor and/or improve Radiation treatment effect.
Foods to Eat After Cancer Diagnosis!
No two cancers are the same. Go beyond the common nutrition guidelines for everyone and make personalized decisions about food and supplements with confidence.
3. What about Soy Bean Supplements for Healthy Individuals with FLT3 Mutation associated Genetic Risk?
Different companies offer panels of genes to be tested for assessing genetic risk to different cancers. These panels cover genes associated with cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus, prostate, and gastrointestinal system and others. Genetic testing of these genes may confirm a diagnosis and help guide treatment and management decisions. Identification of a disease-causing variant may also guide testing and diagnosis of at-risk relatives. FLT3 is one of the genes generally available in panels for cancer risk testing.
FLT3 mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like RUNX Signaling, JAK-STAT Signaling, MAPK Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Soy Bean should not be taken when the genetic panel identifies mutation of FLT3 for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Soy Bean impacts pathways/processes like RUNX Signaling and creates adverse conditions with FLT3.
4. What about Soy Bean Supplements for Healthy Individuals with GNA11 Mutation associated Genetic Risk?
GNA11 is one of the genes available in panels for cancer risk testing. GNA11 mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Phospholipase Signaling, G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling and Platelet aggregation to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Soy Bean supplements may be considered when the genetic panel identifies mutations in GNA11 for Eye Cancer. Soy Bean impacts pathways/processes like Phospholipase Signaling and creates a canceling effect in those individuals with GNA11 mutation.
* Other Factors are also included like BMI, Treatments, Lifestyle Habits
In Conclusion
It is important to remember that cancer chemotherapy treatments and nutrition are never the same for everyone. Food and nutritional supplements like Soy Bean are chosen by you and can influence outcomes.
“What should I eat?” is a commonly asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk. The answer to this question depends on cancer indication, underlying genetics, current chemotherapy treatments, food allergies, lifestyle information, and food preferences.
The addon.life approach to nutrition personalization uses knowledge of active ingredients contained in foods and nutritional supplements, cancer biology, chemotherapy treatment action and genetic mutation prevalence across cancer indications. addon.life team of clinicians, clinical scientists and engineers are experts in cancer biology focusing only on nutrition personalization for cancer patients and those at-risk.
What food you eat and which supplements you take is a decision you make. Your decision should include consideration of the cancer gene mutations, which cancer, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, lifestyle information, weight, height and habits.
The nutrition planning for cancer from addon is not based on internet searches. It automates the decision making for you based on molecular science implemented by our scientists and software engineers. Irrespective of whether you care to understand the underlying biochemical molecular pathways or not - for nutrition planning for cancer that understanding is needed.
Get started NOW with your nutrition planning by answering questions on the name of cancer, genetic mutations, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, habits, lifestyle, age group and gender.

References
- The PI3-K/AKT-pathway and radiation resistance mechanisms in non-small cell lung cancer.
- New concepts in phospholipase D signaling in inflammation and cancer.
- cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
- cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
- Cancer therapy shapes the fitness landscape of clonal hematopoiesis.
Personalized Nutrition for Cancer!
Cancer changes with time. Customize and modify your nutrition based on cancer indication, treatments, lifestyle, food preferences, allergies and other factors.