Does tofu cause dementia?
One study reported a link between tofu consumption during mid-life and early brain aging in a group of American-Japanese men living on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii6. In this observational study, the men who consumed two or more servings of tofu per week during their middle years were found to have lower scores on tests of brain function (cognitive performance), and a lower brain weight in later life. Interestingly, miso soup consumption was also measured. However consumption of this food was not related to poorer brain function scores. Miso is a fermented soy product containing significant levels of isoflavones7. The principal investigator of this study, Dr Lon White and his colleagues concluded that education level, age and a history of prior strokes were the three most important predictors of cognitive functioning. These factors explained over one quarter (27.8%) of the differences in test scores of brain function in these Japanese-American men. Tofu intake accounted for less than 1%
