Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Intake of Soymilk-Okara Powder for 12 Weeks Decreases Body Fat and Increases Body Muscle in Japanese Adults: a Single-Arm Intervention Study

  • Research
  • Published:
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Okara is a by-product of soymilk manufacturing and a rich source of protein and dietary fiber. This study investigates whether dietary soymilk-okara powder intake in the long term affects the body composition and gut microbiota flora in healthy Japanese adults. In total, 46 subjects (43 women) were enrolled. All subjects ingested 15 g of soymilk-okara powder every day for 12 weeks. Subjects’ body composition was assessed over four weeks. At baseline and after intervention for 12 weeks, fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations and microbiota percentages were measured. The body muscle weight significantly increased, and the percentage of body fat significantly decreased at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the intervention. The increase in body muscle after 12 weeks was 0.6 kg (interquartile range:–0.03 to 1.0). The decrease in body fat was –0.9% (interquartile range: -1.6 to -0.2). There was a significant negative correlation between the changes in body fat and body muscle. For the fecal percentages of Coriobacteriaceae, Lactobacillales, Bacteroides, Clostridium cluster IV, and Clostridium cluster XI, there were significant differences between the baseline and 12 weeks after the intervention. Furthermore, there were significant negative correlations between the changes in body fat percentage and fecal acetic acid and propionic acid levels. Therefore, a dietary intake of 15 g of soymilk-okara powder for 12 weeks induced a decrease in body fat, an increase in body muscle, and a change in fecal microbiota flora. Soymilk-okara powder is effective in improving body composition and changing the intestinal microbiota flora in healthy Japanese adults.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

BG :

Blood glucose

BMI :

Body mass index

Chol :

Cholesterol

HDL :

High-density lipoprotein

LDL :

Low-density lipoprotein

SCFA :

Short-chain fatty acid

SD :

Standard deviation

References

  1. Ono T, Shimoyama M, Muramoto K (2012) Function and science of soybean. Asakurasyoten, Tokyo, Japan. [Japanese]

  2. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan Standard tables of food composition in Japan 2020. https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/syokuhinseibun/mext_01110.html Accessed 29 Dec 2021. [Japanese]

  3. Malik VS, Li Y, Tobias DK, Pan A, Hu FB (2016) Dietary protein intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in US men and women. Am J Epidemiol 183(8):715–728. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwv268

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Harland JI, Haffner TA (2008) Systematic review, meta-analysis and regression of randomised controlled trials reporting an association between an intake of circa 25 g soya protein per day and blood cholesterol. Atherosclerosis 200(1):13–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2008.04.006

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Hirotsuka M (2018) Possibility verification of soybean β-conglycinin as ‘food with function claims.’ Oyo Yakuri Pamacometrics 94(1–2):5–13

    Google Scholar 

  6. Mu Y, Kou T, Wei B, Lu X, Liu J, Tian H, Zhang W, Liu B, Li H, Cui W, Wang Q (2019) Soy products ameliorate obesity-related anthropometric indicators in overweight or obese Asian and non-menopausal women: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients 11(11):2790. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112790

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Funatsu Y, Nishimura Y, Ishioroshi M, Uebaba K, Nishio Y, Terashima T, Mafune N (2008) Hypoglycemic effect pf tofu refuse-enriched cake on blood glucose level in healthy subjects and its sensory attributes. Nippon Shokuhin Kagaku Kogaku Kaishi 55(8):367–372. [Japanese]. https://doi.org/10.3136/nskkk.55.367

  8. Nguyen LT, Nguyen TH, Nguyen LT, Kamoshita S, Tran TP, Le HT, Shimura F, Yamamoto S (2019) Okara improved blood glucose level in Vietnamese with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 65(1):60–65. https://doi.org/10.3177/jnsv.65.60

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Corpuz HM, Arimura M, Chawalitpong S, Miyazaki K, Sawaguchi M, Nakamura S, Katayama S (2019) Oral administration of okara soybean by-product attenuates cognitive impairment in a mouse model of accelerated aging. Nutrients 11(12):2939. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122939

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Maeta A, Katsukawa M, Inomoto Y, Hayase Y, Takahashi K (2020) Intake of okara soup for 2 weeks for breakfast improved defecation habits in young Japanese women with self-reported constipation: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention study. J Food Sci 85(10):3570–3576. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15392

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Zhao Y, Liu J, Hao W, Zhu H, Liang N, He Z, Ma KY, Chen ZY (2017) Structure-specific effects of short-chain fatty acids on plasma cholesterol concentration in male Syrian hamsters. J Agric Food Chem 65(50):10984–10992. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b04666

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kondo T, Kishi M, Fushimi T, Ugajin S, Kaga T (2009) Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 73(8):1837–1843. https://doi.org/10.1271/bbb.90231

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kohno M, Hirotsuka M, Kito M, Matsuzawa Y (2006) Decreases in serum triacylglycerol and visceral fat mediated by dietary soybean beta-conglycinin. J Atheroscler Thromb 13(5):247–255. https://doi.org/10.5551/jat.13.247

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Tagawa R, Watanabe D, Ito K, Ueda K, Nakayama K, Sanbongi C, Miyachi M (2020) Dose-response relationship between protein intake and muscle mass increase: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev 79(1):66–75. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaa104

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Ley RE, Turnbaugh PJ, Klein S, Gordon JI (2006) Microbial ecology: human gut microbes associated with obesity. Nature 444(7122):1022–1023. https://doi.org/10.1038/4441022a

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ozato N, Saito S, Yamaguchi T, Katashima M, Tokuda I, Sawada K, Katsuragi Y, Kakuta M, Imoto S, Ihara K, Nakaji S (2019) Blautia genus associated with visceral fat accumulation in adults 20–76 years of age. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 5(1):28. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-019-0101-x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Yoshimoto S, Loo TM, Atarashi K, Kanda H, Sato S, Oyadomari S, Iwakura Y, Oshima K, Morita H, Hattori M, Honda K, Ishikawa Y, Hara E, Ohtani N (2013) Obesity-induced gut microbial metabolite promotes liver cancer through senescence secretome. Nature 499(7456):97–101. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12347

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Sasaki D, Sasaki K, Ikuta N, Yasuda T, Fukuda I, Kondo A, Osawa R (2018) Low amounts of dietary fibre increase in vitro production of short-chain fatty acids without changing human colonic microbiota structure. Sci Rep 8(1):435. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-18877-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Hattori M, Kondo T, Kishi M, Yamagami K (2010) A single oral administration of acetic acid increased energy expenditure in C57BL/6J mice. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 74(10):2158–2159. https://doi.org/10.1271/bbb.100486

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kimura I, Inoue D, Maeda T, Hara T, Ichimura A, Miyauchi S, Kobayashi M, Hirasawa A, Tsujimoto G (2011) Short-chain fatty acids and ketones directly regulate sympathetic nervous system via G protein-coupled receptor 41 (GPR41). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108(19):8030–8035. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1016088108

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Kimura I, Ozawa K, Inoue D, Imamura T, Kimura K, Maeda T, Terasawa K, Kashihara D, Hirano K, Tani T, Takahashi T, Miyauchi S, Shioi G, Inoue H, Tsujimoto G (2013) The gut microbiota suppresses insulin-mediated fat accumulation via the short-chain fatty acid receptor GPR43. Nat Commun 4:1829. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2852

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We extend our sincerest gratitude to the Mukogawa Women University employees who participated in this study. Additionally, we are grateful to Izumoto Kozue, who entered the questionnaire data. Moreover, we would like to thank Editage for English language editing.

Funding

K.T. and A.M have received research grant from the Kikkoman Food Products Company.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Food Science and Nutrition, Mukogawa Women’s University, 6-46, Ikebiraki-Cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8558, Japan

    Akihiro Maeta & Kyoko Takahashi

  2. Product Development Division, Kikkoman Food Products Company, 250, Noda, Noda, Chiba, 278-0037, Japan

    Masahiro Katsukawa & Yaeko Hayase

Authors
  1. Akihiro Maeta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masahiro Katsukawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yaeko Hayase
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kyoko Takahashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization, A.M., M.K., Y.H., and K.T.; methodology, A.M., M.K., Y.H., and K.T.; validation, A.M. and K.T.; formal analysis, A.M. and M.K.; investigation, A.M. and K.T.; resources, Y.H. and K.T.; data curation, A.M. and M.K.; writing—original draft preparation, A.M.; writing—review and editing, M.K., Y.H., and K.T.; visualization, A.M.; supervision, Y.H. and K.T.; project administration, A.M.; funding acquisition, Y.H. and K.T. All of the authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyoko Takahashi.

Ethics declarations

Author Disclosure

M.K. and Y.H. are employees of Kikkoman Food Products Company. This work was supported by the Kikkoman Food Products Company.

Ethics Approval

The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Mukogawa Women’s University (Permit Number: 20–89).

Consent to Participate

The purpose and protocol of this study were explained to all participants, and written informed consent was obtained.

Consent for Publication

All authors and participants consent to publish this manuscript.

Competing Interests

K.T. and A.M have received research grant from the Kikkoman Food Products Company. This work was supported by the research grant from Kikkoman Food Products Company.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 196 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Maeta, A., Katsukawa, M., Hayase, Y. et al. Intake of Soymilk-Okara Powder for 12 Weeks Decreases Body Fat and Increases Body Muscle in Japanese Adults: a Single-Arm Intervention Study. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 78, 173–178 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-022-01030-w

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-022-01030-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation