Dietary and/or nutritional risk factors and breast carcinoma: consumer response.

The author is a former state legislator and feminist activist. Having traveled extensively in Asia, she questions the comparison of U.S. statistics regarding dietary/nutritional risk factors with those from countries whose public health standards are below that of the U.S. The author also notes that only recently has the U.S. had a critical mass of women in Congress that led to the funding of the first Women's Health Initiative. Countries in Asia have few women in positions of political power to advocate for public policies regarding women's health issues, especially concerning the gathering of data regarding breast carcinoma, which is considered a culturally sensitive topic. Although soy is considered a healthy staple of the majority of Asian diets because of its phytoestrogens, there is a mixed message to American consumers because cancer, rather than heart disease, is the leading cause of death among Asian females.