Table 3.
Effect of soy isoflavones on cognition by domains
| Domain | No. of studies | Test type, n | SMD (95%CI) | P value | I 2 statistic (P value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All domains a | 16 | 79 | 0.19 (0.07–0.32) | <0.01 | 18.1% (0.44) |
| Global cognition | 5 | 2 | 0.04 (−0.10 to 0.17) | 0.59 | 0.0% (0.64) |
| Executive function | 11 | 13 | 0.05 (−0.07 to 0.17) | 0.39 | 0.0% (0.89) |
| Psychomotor speed | 12 | 8 | 0.03 (−0.08 to 0.15) | 0.57 | 0.0% (0.94) |
| Attention/working memory | 8 | 9 | 0.08 (−0.11 to 0.27) | 0.41 | 33.9% (0.25) |
| Language | 12 | 11 | 0.10 (−0.10 to 0.29) | 0.33 | 53.1% (0.03) |
| Visuospatial reasoning | 8 | 8 | 0.05 (−0.08 to 0.19) | 0.45 | 0.0% (0.16) |
| Memory b | 12 | 28 | 0.15 (0.03–0.26) | 0.01 | 0.0% (0.80) |
a
An effect size >0 indicates that the intervention group exhibited more positive effects than the control group.
b
The difference in cognitive function between the control and intervention groups was found to be statistically significant at a P <0.05 level.
Abbreviations: SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.