Soy may fight colon cancer

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A new class of agents found in soy may prevent or even treat cancer, U.S. scientists suggest.

Study leader Dr. Julie Saba of California's Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute said the agents -- natural lipid molecules called sphingadienes -- may be responsible for the soy plant's reputation for helping to protect against colon cancer.

The study, published in Cancer Research, looked at the fruit fly -- an organism used to study the genetics of human disease -- found elevated levels of these lipids actually induced the death of mutant cells in the fly.

The sphingadienes help induce cell death -- a process the body uses to be rid of unhealthy or mutant cells like cancer cells, Saba said.

"It's very exciting," Saba says in a statement. "First, we are encouraged to find a natural molecule that could be consumed through soy products as a strategy to help prevent colon cancer. Second, this information is important because we can build on our understanding of the structure and metabolism of sphingadienes in terms of developing new drugs to treat people who already have colon cancer."