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Review
. 2022 Oct 10;8(11):e11011.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11011. eCollection 2022 Nov.

A soy-yoghurt-honey product as a therapeutic functional food: mode of action and narrative review

Aloys Berg  1 , H David McCarthy  2
Affiliations
Review

A soy-yoghurt-honey product as a therapeutic functional food: mode of action and narrative review

Aloys Berg et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Meal replacements and food supplements are now popular commercial weight loss and nutrition products. This review describes the efficacy, effectiveness, and therapeutic use of one such product - a soy-yoghurt-honey food formulation. The original formula of this product was created more than thirty years ago and since that time it has become well established as a food supplement supporting a healthy lifestyle. Therapeutic evidence for this product is based on numerous scientific studies and clinical trials, focusing particularly on weight management and associated metabolic risk factors and published as peer-reviewed articles. Given the availability of the product and the extent to which it has been experimentally evaluated, it is timely and important that the research is brought together under a single review to consolidate the understanding for the scientific and clinical communities. This review discusses the ingredients and the broad mechanisms of action, which are probably due to the biological properties of the three base components - soy, milk, and honey. It further summarizes and discusses the laboratory and clinical intervention studies, including the biochemical and metabolic mechanisms regarding the insulin- and lipid-lowering, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial properties of the overall food and its base products.

Keywords: Biologically active peptides; Isoflavones; Leptin resistance; Muscle mass; Prediabetes; Soy proteins; Soy-yoghurt-honey formula; Weight management.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following conflict of interests: All studies and trials performed to the action and use of Almased® were financially supported by Almased-Wellness-GmbH. The funder had no influence on study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation and/or publication decisions. As scientific consultant, AB received research support for his department from the Almased-Wellness-GmbH to perform the cited Almased® studies and trials. AB and DMc have also received speaker's honoraria from Almased-Wellness-GmbH. AB was the PI of the ACOORH trial.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The soy-yoghurt-honey formula – from the source product to the final product and its specific properties and nutritional information.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake as % of total energy intake between study groups and time points. Significances given for intra- and intergroup comparison; ∗/?p < 0.05, ∗∗/?? p < 0.01); time point a: before intervention, time point b: after intervention [33].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Linear regression between weight loss after 6 weeks (x) and 24 weeks (y) in a group of 83 participants of a weight management program [72]. Group 1: Lifestyle education, n = 28; Group 2: Meal replacement, n = 28; Group 3: Meal replacement and physical training, n = 27.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scatterplot for HbA1c values per visit, by group and prediabetes at baseline and after 4 and 12 weeks after invention in the ACOORH study [115].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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