Eating tofu helps increase sexual desire

According to a new study, people who eat tofu (a soy-based product) and other plant-based foods can enjoy fuller sex life than meat lovers.

A study recently published in the journal Hormones and Behavior found that certain products derived from plants may affect the amount of hormones in the body and increase sexual activity in the subject. This is the first study to examine the relationship between estrogen-derived compounds (also known as phytoestrogens) and behavior in wild primates. In this case is a group of East African red monkeys in Uganda.

Because it is also a primate, it is likely that humans also suffer from similar effects from phytoestrogens.

Discovery page quoted Michael Wasserman, a graduate student in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley (USA), emphasizing: "By changing hormone levels and important social behaviors For reproduction and health, plants can play a big role in the evolution of primates, including humans. "

During 11 months, Wasserman and his colleagues followed a group of red monkeys in Uganda's Kibale National Park and recorded what these primates eat. For behavioral observations, the team focused on aggressiveness (expressed by the number of chases and fights), the frequency of mating and grooming time. They also collected stool samples to assess the amount of hormone changes in monkeys' bodies.

The team found that male monkeys ate more leaves from Millettia dura - a tropical plant that contained estrogen-like compounds, the higher the levels of estradiol and cortisol in their bodies. Millettia dura is a close relative of soybean, which is also considered to have high levels of phytoestrogen. Women who are undergoing menopause often consume many soy-based products, such as tofu, to ease some symptoms.

Researchers also found that such hormonal changes accompanied by increased aggression and sexual intercourse but reduced the time spent on grooming - an important behavior for tightening social relations in primates.

They also quickly pointed out that a number of factors affect the amount of hormones and behavior of primates. In the study, the amount of endogenous hormone available in each monkey is the strongest sign of certain behaviors, while phytoestrogen plays only a minor role.

Wasserman and colleagues continue to study the relationship between phytoestrogens and other primates, including the closest human relatives - chimpanzees - to determine the popularity of plants estrogen in the diet of wild primates.

According to researcher Wasserman, human ancestors have a diet primarily from tropical plants and our biological characteristics have changed a bit since that time. For the latest study, the authors showed that the diet of East African red monkeys contained a high percentage of leaves, while the diet of chimpanzees, other monkeys and human ancestors included. consists mostly of fruits. One of the current goals of the Wasserman team is to compare the presence of phytoestrogens in leaves and fruits in nature.

"If phytoestrogens account for a significant proportion of the diet of primates and the diet has the same physiological and behavioral effects as observed in the East African red monkey. In fact, plants that contain estrogen are more likely to play an important role in human evolution.After studying the effects of phytoestrogens in monkeys and fruit-eating primates, we may be well aware. more about how estrogen compounds can affect people's health and behavior , " said Wasserman.