Yo Soy! The Health Benefits of Soy with Omer Kucuk

We eat this delightful legume in so many forms, from tofu, to soymilk, edamame and more! But, did you know that in addition to serving as a great source of plant proteins for the diet, that soy has also shown a number of fascinating health benefits in cancer prevention? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Omer Kucuk, a cancer researcher and physician who also happens to be an expert on the therapeutic value of soy-based foods and supplements. 

About Omer Kucuk

Omer Kucuk, MD, conducted the first clinical trials to show the benefits of soy and lycopene supplements in prostate cancer treatment.  He is a Professor in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute. Dr. Kucuk came to Emory Winship from the Karmanos Cancer Center at Wayne State University in Detroit where he was a professor and co-leader of the population sciences and prevention program and member of genitourinary and head and neck cancer multidisciplinary groups.  

Dr. Kucuk has more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, review articles and book chapters to his credit, and he is on the editorial boards of numerous publications, including the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention and Cancer Epidemiology.  Nutrition and cancer is Dr. Kucuk’s primary research focus, and he has published extensively on various nutrients in combination with chemotherapy and radiation.   Dr. Kucuk has been conducting clinical trials with lycopene and soy isoflavones in combination with standard therapy for prostate cancer since 1995.   He is also investigating the effects of micronutrients and phytochemicals on biomarkers of cell growth, differentiation, inflammation and oxidative stress in a variety of cancers. 

Dr. Kucuk earned his medical degree at Hacettepe University Medical School in Ankara, Turkey.  He conducted a residency and fellowship at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, and a hematology and oncology fellowship at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.  Before joining the medical staff at Wayne State University, Dr. Kucuk served as professor and researcher at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu.  

About Cassandra Quave

Prof. Cassandra Quave is best known for her ground-breaking research on the science of botanicals. Scientists in her research lab work to uncover some of nature’s deepest secrets as they search for new ways to fight life-threatening diseases, including antibiotic resistant infections. Working with a global network of scientists and healers, Cassandra and her team travel the world hunting for new plant ingredients, interviewing healers, and bringing plants back to the lab to study. Besides research, Cassandra is an award-winning teacher, and has developed and taught the college classes “Food, Health and Society” and “Botanical Medicine and Health” at Emory University.

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