Eating soy products as a child can lower the risk of breast cancer in later life by half, a nutritionist speaking at a forum to promote the foodstuff has claimed.

Mark Messina, from Loma Linda University in California, says research shows women in Shanghai who consumed at least 11 grams of soy products each day from the age of five to 11 are half as likely to get breast cancer than those consuming less than 2.2 grams a day.

Messina was in Hong Kong to attend a Vitasoy forum promoting quality of life through their products.

He claimed other researchers have also indicated the health benefits of soy in lowering women's risks of having a stroke and cardiovascular disease by 65 to 75 percent.

Messina said the breast cancer incident rate in countries where soy is commonly consumed, including China and Japan, is 19.1 and 19.7 percent - a quarter of those in Europe and the United States.

He said the difference could be independent from the genetic makeup of the races because Asians with a more Westernized diet are more likely to develop such diseases than those on a traditional diet.

Many in the West are beginning to consume soy products as alternatives to dairy products, meat and fish.

Soy contains good fatty acid which helps lower cholesterol.

It also has a unique compound that has both omega 6 and omega 3, commonly found in fish.

Although plant protein is generally viewed as inferior to animal protein, soy is widely believed to be the only plant with a protein quality on par with meat.