BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Tofu 'may raise risk of dementia'

There is some evidence that they may protect the brains of younger and middle-aged people from damage - but their effect on the ageing brain is less clear.

The latest study suggests phytoestrogens - in high quantity - may actually heighten the risk of dementia.

Lead researcher Professor Eef Hogervorst said previous research had linked oestrogen therapy to a doubling of dementia risk in the over-65s.

So meat should be reserved for the growing-up and the elderly, perhaps. Middle-aged vegetarians who want to stick to not eating meat would have to adjust their diet to shift away from tofu... One of the disadvantage of being 100% vegetarian has always been the need to balance one's diet more carefully, I guess this is just another balancing problem to deal with.

The researchers found high tofu consumption - at least once a day - was associated with worse memory, particularly among the over-68s.

Wow! Once a day is high tofu consumption? I wonder how much it matters as to how much is eaten each time. There are already so many food and condiment items in Asian cooking (though much is given the fermentation treatment).