ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2012) — Eating certain
veggies not only supplies key nutrients, it may also influence hormone levels
and behaviors such as aggression and sexual activity, says a new study led by
researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, that could shed light on
the role of diet in human evolution.
The
research is the first to observe the connection between plant-based estrogenic compounds,
or phytoestrogens, and behavior in wild primates -- in this case, a group of
red colobus monkeys in Uganda.
The
more the male red colobus monkeys dined on the leaves of Millettia dura, a
tropical tree containing estrogen-like compounds, the higher their levels of
estradiol and cortisol. They also found that with the altered hormone levels
came more acts of aggression and sex, and less time spent grooming -- an
important behavior for social bonding in primates.
The
study, published in the current issue of the journal Hormones and
Behavior, suggests how potentially important consuming phytoestrogens is in
primate ecology and evolution.
Posts
