Tofu raises Dementia risks – Study

If you love your Chinese food with a dash of Tofu and have lately heard about the benefits about Tofu, here’s a news which may want you to think again. As per a new Study, loading on high amounts of Soy product which also includes Tofu may raise the risk of Dementia.

Dementia is known for its progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain as compared to what might be expected from the normal process of aging. This is not good news for vegetarians as Soy happens to be one of the major sources of protein for vegetarians.

The reason behind the connection of Tofu/Soy and Dementia was explained in detail by the study led by Loughborough University which focused on 719 elderly Indonesians living in urban and rural regions of Java. Soy products happen to be rich in micronutrients called phytoestrogens, which mimic the impact of the female sex hormone oestrogen. Although phytoestrogens are known to protect the brains of younger and middle-aged people from damage but there is no clarity about the effect of the micronutrient on an ageing brain. And the study found that high levels of phytoestrogens increased the risk of Dementia.

According to Professor David Smith, of the University of Oxford, tofu was a complex food with many ingredients, which might have an impact and he commented “There seems to be something happening in the brain as we age which makes it react to oestrogens in the opposite way to what we would expect.”

Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, which funded the study, said more research was needed to pin down the potential risks and benefits of so-called superfoods. And she also mentioned “This kind of research into the causes of Alzheimer’s could lead scientists to new ways of preventing this devastating disease.”

At the time when Tofu has been promoted as a healthy food item, a high amount of the soy may raise up the risk of Dementia. So as the old saying goes, everything should be consumed in the right limits. Only this rule and theory will keep one hearty and healthy.