Abstract
Sex hormone changes in adults are known to play a part in aging, including cognitive aging. Dietary intake of phytoestrogens can mimic estrogenic effects on brain function. Since sex hormones differ between genders, it is important to examine gender differences in the phytoestrogen–cognition association. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine the relationship between urinary phytoestrogens and speed of processing (SOP) and the variation of the association between genders in older adults. Participants were drawn from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and included 354 individuals aged 65–85 years old. General linear models (GLMs) were used to test for significant gender differences in the relationship between phytoestrogens and SOP. Results from the GLMs showed significant gender differences in the relationship between genistein and SOP. Higher levels of genistein were associated with better SOP in women. This relationship was reversed in men: higher genistein levels were associated with worse performance. Results indicate that there are distinct gender differences in the relationship between genistein and SOP. These results emphasize the importance of considering gender differences when devising dietary and pharmacologic interventions that target phytoestrogens to improve brain health.
Highlights
Phytoestrogens are involved in many biological activities, such as anti-proliferation and anti-inflammation [1,2], which makes these metabolites a potential candidate target for interventions to mitigate negative cognitive aging effects [3]
Higher levels of genistein were associated with better speed of processing (SOP) in women
This relationship was reversed in men: higher genistein levels were associated with worse performance
Summary
Phytoestrogens are involved in many biological activities, such as anti-proliferation and anti-inflammation [1,2], which makes these metabolites a potential candidate target for interventions to mitigate negative cognitive aging effects [3]. Several studies have established that neuroinflammation is a major contributor to cognitive decline due to alterations of normal brain functions, such as synaptic plasticity changes and neuronal dysfunction [4,5]. Given the robust relationship between estrogen and brain function, metabolites with estrogenic activity from dietary sources deserve further attention [9]. Prior studies have found that phytoestrogens bind to estrogen receptors (ERs) to estradiol, as well as potentially compete with endogenous estradiol via selective estrogen receptor modulator activity (SERM) depending on gender and specific sex hormones [10,11]. With evidence that isoflavones have high affinity to estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in a manner similar to estradiol, there is potential for Nutrients 2019, 11, 1780; doi:10.3390/nu11081780 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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