By Karen Kier, Pharmacist
On behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
The fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk is believed to originate in the 1700s. The story tells the tale of young Jack trading his family cow for magic beans. After planting the beans, he climbs the beanstalk and comes face to face with the giant. Jack is able to get away by chopping down the beanstalk.
Why beans? A study presented at a national nutrition meeting evaluated soybeans in children. This study is novel since the only other data is in adults.
Soy has a beneficial effect on the adult brain. Multiple studies have shown a benefit in short-term and long-term memory in healthy adults. Other soy studies have proven an overall benefit in cognitive function and visual memory in those under the age of 60. In the adult studies, the best results were with doses of soy of more than 100 mg per day.