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"(NaturalNews) Regularly eating high levels of tofu may increase the risk of the memory loss associated with dementia, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, and published in the journal Dementias and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. Prior research has found that women over the age of 65 who receive hormone therapy may double their risk of dementia. This may occur because estrogen promotes cell growth, which may actually do damage to the aging brain, Hogervorst said. Alternately, high levels of estrogen might enhance the cell-damaging effects of free radicals. Hogervorst also noted that much of tofu consumed by study participants might have been preserved with formaldehyde, a common practice in Indonesia. Formaldehyde has been strongly linked to various forms of cell damage, and might be responsible for the memory effects observed. Prior research has found that older Japanese-American men who consumed high levels of tofu are also at an elevated risk for dementia, however. Researchers investigated the connection between memory loss and diet for 719 elderly urban and rural residents of Java, Indonesia. The found that those who ate tofu at least once per day performed significantly worse on memory tests than those who ate tofu less frequently. The effect was particularly strong among those over the age of 68."

"Eating high levels of some soy products - including tofu - may raise the risk of memory loss, research suggests. The study focused on 719 elderly Indonesians living in urban and rural regions of Java. ' The latest study suggests phytoestrogens - in high quantity - may actually heighten the risk of dementia. Lead researcher Professor Eef Hogervorst said previous research had linked oestrogen therapy to a doubling of dementia risk in the over-65s. She said oestrogens - and probably phytoestrogens - tended to promote growth among cells, not necessarily a good thing in the ageing brain. Alternatively, high doses of oestrogens might promote the damage caused to cells by particles known as free radicals. A third theory is that damage is caused not by the tofu, but by formaldehyde, which is sometimes used in Indonesia as a preservative. The researchers admit that more research is required to ascertain whether the same effects are found in other ethnic groups. However, previous research has also linked high tofu consumption to an increased risk of dementia in older Japanese American men. The researchers found high tofu consumption - at least once a day - was associated with worse memory, particularly among the over-68s. "