A Warning For “Tofu Maniacs”

Excess of everything is bad! Die-hard vegetarians or non-vegetarians or those who munch a lot on specific category of food are more or less prone to having excess or deficiency of one chemical or the other.

Scientists have warned those -especially women and vegetarians- who eat tofu or particular foods more frequently of serious consequences that can result in mental deterioration or mental impairment.

Scientists have busted the myths about “superfood” tofu and soy products.

Despite the fact that, tofu is accredited as a low calorie food and a food source that contains plant hormonesdefine its severe effect on the memory can not be neglected.

Soy products like tofu when taken in large quantity on daily basis can increase the risk of dementia in elderly.

A study conducted under the guidance of Professor Eef Hogvervorst of Loughborough University, analysed the eating behavior of 719 Javanese people aged between 52 and 98 and brought to light the fact that soy products are rich in micronutrients and are heavily consumed in the West but certainly puts a degrading effect on the functioning of brain also.

In the study it was seen that high soy consumption in elderly Indonesians of urban and rural areas of Java led to memory loss to a serious extent.

Soy rich diet produces oestrogen-like hormones in the body which damages the cognitive functioning in older people.

Researchers came to a conclusion that people at sixty and above must keep a regular check on their tofu intake.

This month the mentioned study will be published in the journal, Dementias and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

In a previous study led by researcher Dr. Lon R. White from the Hawaii Center for Health Research which involved 3,734 elderly Japanese-American men, it was found out that tofu has the capacity to shrink the brain, those who excessively consumed tofu developed greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

Those who did not eat tofu at all “tested as though they were five years younger” White said. Those men who eat considerable levels of soy products or tofu in their midlife "their brains seemed to be showing an exaggeration of the usual patterns we see in aging."