Results of soy-based meal replacement formula on weight, anthropometry, serum lipids & blood pressure during a 40-week clinical weight loss trial

Kevin R Fontaine¹ , Dongyan Yang² , Gary L Gadbury³ , Stanley Heshka⁴ , Linda G Schwartz⁴ , Radha Murugesan⁴ , Jennifer L Kraker⁴ , Moonseong Heo⁵ , Steven B Heymsfield⁴ and David B Allison²

¹Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States

²Department of Biostatistics & Clinical Nutrition Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States

³Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Missouri – Rolla, United States

⁴Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital, Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York, United States

⁵Weill Medical College of Cornell, White Plains, New York, United States

author email corresponding author email

Nutrition Journal 2003, 2:14doi:10.1186/1475-2891-2-14


Published:	18 November 2003

Abstract

Background

To evaluate the intermediate-term health outcomes associated with a soy-based meal replacement, and to compare the weight loss efficacy of two distinct patterns of caloric restriction.

Methods

Ninety overweight/obese (28 < BMI ≤ 41 kg/m²) adults received a single session of dietary counseling and were randomized to either 12 weeks at 1200 kcal/day, 16 weeks at 1500 kcal/d and 12 weeks at 1800 kcal/d (i.e., the 12/15/18 diet group), or 28 weeks at 1500 kcal/d and 12 weeks at 1800 kcal/d (i.e., the 15/18 diet group). Weight, body fat, waist circumference, blood pressure and serum lipid concentrations were measured at 4-week intervals throughout the 40-week trial.

Results

Subjects in both treatments showed statistically significant improvements in outcomes. A regression model for weight change suggests that subjects with larger baseline weights tended to lose more weight and subjects in the 12/15/18 group tended to experience, on average, an additional 0.9 kg of weight loss compared with subjects in the 15/18 group.

Conclusion

Both treatments using the soy-based meal replacement program were associated with significant and comparable weight loss and improvements on selected health variables.