A twice-daily soya-based fibre drink helped overweight adults trim body weight and waistline over 12 weeks. A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Nutrients tested whether a convenient, ready-to-drink fibre beverage could improve body composition in everyday overweight adults, a group for whom hitting recommended fibre targets through whole foods alone is often difficult.
Why researchers tried a fibre drink. Dietary fibre is linked to greater satiety and better metabolic health, yet most people fall short of recommended intakes. Whole foods are the ideal source, but they are not always practical, and there is limited evidence on whether grab-and-go fibre beverages actually help in free-living conditions. This trial set out to fill that gap.
What the study did. Over 12 weeks, researchers ran a parallel, cluster-randomized controlled trial with overweight university students and staff. The intervention group (21 people) drank the soya-based dietary fibre beverage twice daily, while the control group (21 people) continued their usual diet. The team measured body composition and a range of metabolic and inflammatory markers before and after.
What improved. The intervention produced statistically significant group-by-time differences across several body composition measures: body weight (p < 0.001), body mass index (p = 0.021), waist circumference (p = 0.046), waist-to-hip ratio (p = 0.042), and body fat percentage (p = 0.004). In concrete terms, the intervention group lost about 1.12 kg of body weight, trimmed 4.29 cm from their waist circumference, and reduced body fat percentage by 0.73%, while the control group barely changed.
What stayed the same. There were no significant changes in fasting glucose, blood lipids, or the inflammatory markers CRP and IL-6. The authors frame this as reassuring rather than disappointing: it suggests the beverage did not trigger adverse biochemical changes over the study period, supporting its short-term tolerability, even though it did not move those particular markers.
Adherence was strong. Dietary analysis confirmed a marked increase in fibre intake in the intervention group, to roughly 50 grams per day, indicating that participants stuck with the regimen. Good adherence is notable because it is often the weak link in fibre interventions.
How to read this. This was a small, short trial, 42 participants over 12 weeks, in a specific setting (university students and staff), so the findings may not generalize to the wider population or to the long term. The waist reduction of more than 4 cm is encouraging, but larger and longer studies are needed to confirm the effect and rule out chance in such a small sample. The authors themselves call for further work on long-term efficacy and safety.
Practical takeaway. The broader, well-established point is that fibre supports fullness and weight management, and this trial suggests a convenient fibre beverage can be one practical way to close the fibre gap. That said, a varied diet of naturally fibre-rich foods, vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains, remains the foundation, with a product like this as a possible supplement rather than a substitute.
Bottom line. A twice-daily soya-based fibre drink modestly reduced body weight, waist circumference, and body fat over 12 weeks in overweight adults, without adverse changes to blood sugar, lipids, or inflammation, offering a convenient way to boost fibre intake, though the small, short trial means the results are promising rather than definitive.