Eating tofu improves one's sex life. The famous soy cheese not only provides very important nutrients for the health of our body but can also influence hormone levels and behaviors related to aggression and sexual activity. This was stated in a new study published in the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior and conducted by researchers from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB).
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Eating tofu improves one's sex life. The famous soy cheese not only provides very important nutrients for the health of our body but can also affect the hormone levels eicbehaviors related to aggression and sexual activity. This was stated in a new study published in the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior and conducted by researchers from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB).
Research is the first to observe DIRECTLY IN KIND the relationship between the phytoestrogens present in some plants, such as soy, and behavior in wild primates, in this case a group of red colobus in Uganda that feed on the leaves of Hard milletia. It is a tropical tree that contains compounds similar to estrogen: this is why the primates that eat it have recorded higher levels of estradiol and cortisol, which influenced the endocrine system and behavior.
"By modifying hormone levels and social behaviors important for reproduction and health, plants may have played an important role in the evolution of primates, including humans, which has been underestimated until now," said the author Michael Wasserman, who, along with his team, has followed the colobus of Kibale National Park for 11 months, recording what they ate and their behaviors, particularly aggression, number of chases and fights, frequency of mating and time spent in command of the group.
To assess changes in hormone levels, the researchers collected stool samples once a week from each of the 10 adult males in the group, while a separate study on the examination of phytoestrogens in females is still ongoing. Throughout the study, more than 407 samples were collected and analyzed, recording their estradiol and cortisol levels.
This is how the researchers discovered how increased consumption of Hard milletia corresponded to higher levels of estradiol and cortisol, two steroid hormones important for reproduction and stress response.
And since i phytoestrogens are also found in human foods, in particular those a soy based such as tofu, the results can also be transferred by analogy to humans, who eat as much soy as they can increase sexual activity. “If phytoestrogens make up a significant part of a primate's diet and their consumption it has similar physiological and behavioral effects, like those observed in red colobus, these plants have probably also played an important role in human evolution, ”concludes Wasserman.
Roberta Ragni
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