To bean, or not to bean, that is the question. New research finds that isoflavones in soybeans and soy products can enhance attention and processing speed in school-aged kids. “Soy foods are often not a regular part of children’s diets in the United States,” said Ajla Bristina, a neuroscience doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“Our study adds evidence of the importance of nutrients found in soy foods for childhood cognition.” The study included 128 children, ranging in age from 7 to 13. Bristina’s team used seven-day diet records to calculate each child’s consumption of macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins and isoflavones.
The naturally occurring plant compounds are structurally similar to estrogen — they have been shown to exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. For the study, the kids took pencil-and-paper tests to showcase their intellect and completed a computerized task to demonstrate their attention skills. Researchers recorded their electroencephalographic — also known as an EEG — activity to determine their information-processing speed and attention.
“No other studies have examined the association between soy isoflavones and attentional abilities using EEG or similar measures to record electrical activity generated by the brain,” Bristina said. She reported that the children in the study consumed 0 to 35 milligrams of isoflavones a day, with the average being 1.33 mill.
