Study Finds Soy Supplements Don’t Boost Thinking Skills
Soy supplements taken daily don’t improve the overall thinking abilities of older women, according to a new study.
“There are no substantial cognitive effects, positive or negative, from soy protein consumption in women past menopause,” said researcher Dr. Victor Henderson, professor of health research and policy and neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University.
In the study, published June 5 in Neurology, Henderson and his team evaluated 350 postmenopausal women, aged 45 to 92. The researchers randomly assigned the women to take 25 grams of soy protein a day or a milk protein placebo. The soy and placebo were given in powder or bar form.
The study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is called the Women’s Isoflavone Soy Health Trial. Isoflavones in soy are estrogen-like compounds. Some women choose them as an alternative to hormone therapy to relieve hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.
Research has produced mixed results about whether soy helps protect so-called “cognitive” health, such as memory and other thinking skills. Some research has even found that soy has a negative effect on thinking skills.
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