Soy Foods May Help Boost Your Kids’ Brain Power

Adding soy foods to your kid’s diet may boost their brain power.

A new study finds school-aged children who consume more  isoflavones from soy foods have better thinking abilities and attention.

Researchers used 7-day dietary records to calculate the intake of macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins and isoflavones in 128 children. Written and computerized tests were then used to measure their intellectual abilities, attention skills and information processing speed.

Overall, the participants consumed low amounts of isoflavones, according to the results. But those who ate the most isoflavones had faster response times during attention tasks and faster processing speeds.

No association was found between soy isoflavone intake and general intellectual ability.

One author says soy foods are not a regular part of kids diets in the U.S., but “Our study adds evidence of the importance of nutrients found in soy foods for childhood cognition.”

Good sources of isoflavones include roasted edamame, soynuts, soy milk, tofu and soy-based nuggets.

Source: The American Society for Nutrition