Recent research has shown that dairy products, specifically three cups of skim milk a day, have a significant role in weight loss. Because of this, an NIU professor wondered if these same results could be reached with soy milk.

Judith Lukaszuk, NIU assistant professor of family, consumer and nutrition science, decided to conduct the first study to see if consuming three cups of soy milk could produce the same weight loss results.

“I first got interested in conducting the study when I saw all the studies done on dairy intake and weight loss” Luksazuk said. “I thought if dairy can induce weight loss, maybe the protein composition of soy milk would do the same.”

Lukaszuk conducted the study on females who were medically overweight.

“The results of the study were exciting in that after eight weeks of consuming either three cups of skim milk or three cups of light soy milk concurrent with a lower calorie diet [500 calories less than the calories they were expending per day], both groups lost the same amount of weight, fat mass and inches off their abdominal waist circumference,” Lukaszuk said.

Lukaszuk believes these results can be beneficial to vegans and those who are lactose- and casein-intolerant.

“People with lactose intolerance can have stomach gurgling and diarrhea after consuming milk and milk products which contain lactose,” Lukaszuk said. “People with a casein intolerance suffer more from allergy-type symptoms.”

Jane Hapeman, a registered dietician at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, agrees that milk is important but does not want people to forget the importance of exercise.

“Milk is an important part of weight loss, but you must incorporate all food groups and exercise,” Hapeman said.

Exercise and diet are still essential.

“Just adding three cups of milk to your diet without cutting back on calories and exercising will likely lead to a weight gain,” Lukaszuk said.

Lukaszuk emphasized the importance of will and self-discipline in weight loss.

“The biggest thing holding people back from losing weight is a lack of a willingness to change,” Lukaszuk said. “One must be willing to make changes lifelong and although many people would like to lose the weight, a lot of them don’t want to change anything to do so. Actually losing weight is the easy part. It is maintaining the weight loss that is the biggest challenge.”