{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T14:26:24Z","timestamp":1787840784644,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Almased Wellness GmbH, Leopoldstra\u00dfe","award":["80804 M"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["80804 M"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: High-protein dietary strategies have been shown to support weight reduction and improve body composition during lifestyle interventions. However, evidence regarding long-term dietary adaptations and their association with body composition in overweight women remains limited. This secondary analysis of the ACOORH randomised controlled trial investigated whether a protein-rich soy-based meal replacement promotes sustained dietary protein intake and favourable body composition changes in female participants. Methods: Female participants from the multicentre ACOORH RCT with complete dietary records at baseline, week 12 and week 52 were included (n = 64). Participants received either a standardised lifestyle intervention alone or the same intervention combined with a protein-rich soy\u2013yoghurt\u2013honey meal replacement during the first 26 weeks. Dietary intake, body composition, physical activity and muscle strength were evaluated longitudinally. Between-group comparisons, repeated measures ANCOVA and exploratory correlation analyses were performed. Results: Both groups significantly reduced daily energy intake during the first 12 weeks. However, only the intervention group increased body weight-adjusted protein intake (+0.22 \u00b1 0.29 g\/kg\/day), resulting in a significant between-group difference (p = 0.004). The higher protein intake was maintained throughout the 52-week study despite discontinuation of meal replacement after week 26 (p &lt; 0.001). Repeated measures ANCOVA demonstrated significantly greater improvements in body mass index (p = 0.04) and fat mass (p = 0.03) in the intervention group. At week 52, higher protein intake was significantly associated with lower body mass index (r = \u22120.253; p = 0.04), lower fat mass (r = \u22120.321; p = 0.01) and greater muscle strength (r = 0.292; p = 0.02), whereas no association with physical activity was observed. Conclusions: Among overweight women participating in a structured lifestyle intervention, temporary supplementation with a protein-rich soy-based meal replacement was associated with sustained increases in dietary protein intake and more favourable long-term body composition. These findings support the concept that maintaining a higher protein intake during weight reduction may contribute to improved body composition outcomes. Larger prospective studies specifically designed to investigate sex-specific effects of protein-rich dietary interventions are warranted.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18172809","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T13:26:03Z","timestamp":1787837163000},"page":"2809","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effect of a Defined Intake of a Soy-Based Protein-Rich Supplement on Body Composition and Eating Behaviour in Overweight Women: A Secondary Analysis of the ACOORH Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6794-9494","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aloys","family":"Berg","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79117 Freiburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Stensitzky-Thielemanns","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 65307 Bad Schwalbach, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hans-Georg","family":"Predel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Cologne, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"705","article-title":"The prevention and treatment of obesity","volume":"111","author":"Wirth","year":"2014","journal-title":"Dtsch. \u00c4rztebl. 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