A collaborative research team led by Ehime University and attended by the University of Tokyo and Ryukyu University has announced the results of research that intake of soybeans and isoflavones during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of hyperactivity problems in children.
Isoflavones contained in soybeans have estrogenic effects, and the effects of isoflavone exposure during the fetal period on child development are divided between the theory that it has a positive effect and the theory that it has a negative effect. ing.However, no epidemiological studies have investigated the association between soy and isoflavone intake during pregnancy and behavioral problems in the offspring.
In the "Kyushu-Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Research" aimed at clarifying the relationship between the lifestyle and living environment of mothers and children and health problems, 19 pregnant women participated in 1757 and the children were born with their mothers. Follow-up is being conducted.Using this data, we investigated the association between soybean and isoflavone intake during pregnancy and the risk of behavioral problems in the offspring of 5 mothers and children who participated in a follow-up study at the age of five.
As a result, the higher the total soybean intake during pregnancy, the lower the risk of hyperactivity and companionship problems in 5-year-olds.Analysis by soy product found that tofu and miso soup intake during pregnancy was not associated with hyperactivity problems, whereas higher natto intake reduced the risk of hyperactivity problems.Similarly, the higher the isoflavone intake during pregnancy, the lower the risk of hyperactivity problems.
From the above, it was shown that soybean intake during pregnancy is preventive for the hyperactivity problem and companionship problem of the born child, and that natto and isoflavone intake during pregnancy are preventive for the hyperactivity problem of the child. ..Regarding this result, it is necessary to accumulate further research data such as reports from other countries, but it is a research result with high academic value that suggests that changes in eating habits during pregnancy may prevent behavioral problems in children. ..