Okara, Soybean Residue, Prevents Obesity in a Diet-induced Murine Obesity Model

We examined the effect of okara on the prevention of obesity in mice. A modified AIN-76 diet with a high fat content (14.1% of crude fat) was used as a basal diet. Male ICR mice were fed ad libitum with the basal diet or a dried okara-supplemented basal diet (10, 20, or 40%) for 10 weeks. The okara intake dose-dependently suppressed the development of body weight and epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT), and prevented an increase of plasma lipids, including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and non-esterified fatty acid. The okara intake also prevented steatosis in the liver. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that the okara intake induced down-regulation of the fatty acid synthetase gene and up-regulation of the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) gene in the liver. We also found that the okara intake caused a marked reduction in the expression of leptin and TNF-alpha genes in EWAT. Our results suggest that okara is beneficial in preventing obesity.