Want your kids to focus and think better? These foods may help

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 7 to 13 years old.

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 antioxidant, anticancer, 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 (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 milligrams.She called this amount “relatively low,” but said it “aligns with previously reported values” for the US.The kids who ate more soy foods had faster responses during the attentional tasks and quicker processing speed.

No association was observed between isoflavone intake and intellectual ability. Bristina recommends incorporating more soy into children’s diets via roasted edamame, soy nuts, soy milk, tofu, tempeh or soy-based nuggets.She noted that 8 fluid ounces of soy milk contain about 28 milligrams of isoflavones, ...