Does Soy Really Preserve Thinking Skills in Women?

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Does Soy Really Preserve Thinking Skills in Women?
 

– Reported, June 5, 2012

 

(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Contrary to earlier reports, a new study suggests that soy protein may not preserve overall thinking abilities in women over the age of 45, but may improve memory related to facial recognition.

“Our study provides strong evidence that soy supplements should not be used by post menopausal women with the main goal of enhancing overall cognitive ability,” as quoted by Victor W. Henderson, MD, MS, with Stanford University.

For the study, 313 healthy postmenopausal women between the ages of 45 and 92 were given 25 grams of soy protein, or a milk protein-matched placebo daily. Participants were also given tests that measured memory and other thinking abilities at the start of the study and 2.5 years later.

The study found that there was no significant change in test scores between the women who took the soy supplements and those who took the milk protein supplements. There was, however, a small improvement in visual memory, or facial recognition in the soy protein group compared to the milk protein group by about 13%.

Source: American Academy of Neurology, June 2012