Is tofu good for weight loss?

Nobody can say from a tofu trial, because we found none that randomized people to tofu and measured their weight. The nearest evidence comes from soy foods, soy protein powders and isoflavone pills. The largest meta-analysis, of 24 soy trials and 17 isoflavone trials, found no overall effect on weight, waist or fat mass. A 2019 meta-analysis of 22 trials in 870 overweight or obese adults found soy products lowered weight by 0.75 lb (95% CI 0.18 to 1.3; metric: 0.34 kg, 0.08 to 0.60) over 2 to 24 weeks. The products there were mostly protein, isoflavones and soy milk.

Myth. Soy is not a weight-loss food on the trial evidence. Depending on who was studied and what soy replaced, the pooled results run from a loss of about a kilo to a gain of about a kilo. That spread, around a center near zero, does not support soy as a weight-loss tool.

What the trials found

The biggest synthesis, published in 2017, found no overall effect of soy on weight, waist circumference or fat mass. In some subgroups weight went up. In people with obesity the difference was 1.8 lb (95% CI 0.33 to 3.2; metric: 0.80 kg, 0.15 to 1.45), and at 40 g or more of soy protein a day it was 2.1 lb (0.24 to 3.9; metric: 0.94 kg, 0.11 to 1.77). Trials lasting one to three months showed 0.99 lb (0.45 kg) more. Soy in place of meat came out 0.79 lb (0.36 kg) heavier, and soy in place of whey protein 3.4 lb (1.53 kg) heavier. These are comparisons between trials, which the subgroup design cannot randomize.

The 2019 meta-analysis of 22 trials is the one positive pooled number, a loss of 0.75 lb (0.34 kg) with no heterogeneity. Within it, overweight Asian participants lost 0.82 lb (0.37 kg) and 0.14 in (0.35 cm) of waist, and premenopausal women lost 1.3 lb (0.59 kg). A 2013 meta-analysis of 13 trials of soy protein supplements in overweight and obese people found a loss of 2.3 lb (95% CI 0.24 to 4.3; metric: 1.04 kg, 0.11 to 1.97), with 2.2 lb (0.99 kg) less fat mass and 0.37 in (0.94 cm) less waist. The change in BMI did not reach significance. That paper is in Chinese and only its English abstract was read.

Isoflavone pills in non-Asian postmenopausal women, across 9 trials and 528 women, lowered weight by 1.1 lb (95% CI 0.3 to 2; metric: 0.515 kg, 0.134 to 0.895). Those were capsules of an isolated compound, and the effect was smaller in women with obesity. A wider 2018 review of phytoestrogen supplements, 23 trials in 1880 postmenopausal women, found no effect on weight overall. Healthy women lost 0.62 lb (0.28 kg) and women with metabolic disorders gained 1.7 lb (0.78 kg).

Fermented soy, such as natto, tempeh and fermented soy milk, was pooled in 15 trials in 2025. Waist came out 0.59 in (1.50 cm) smaller (95% CI 0.07 to 2.94) and BMI 0.14 lower, visceral fat fell, and the other body measures did not change. Ordinary tofu is not fermented.

The longest trials are the most relevant to someone swapping meat for tofu, and they found nothing. Across 18 trials in 1893 adults lasting at least six months, plant protein, largely soy, made no difference to fat mass or body weight compared with animal protein. A 2021 meta-analysis of 10 trials in 596 adults found no change in body composition with soy protein supplements. Both used isolates rather than tofu.

Unsettled. Tofu meals do fill people up, for a few hours. In a laboratory trial, 42 overweight women ate less shortly after a tofu pasta lunch than after an equal-calorie chicken lunch, and did not make it up at dinner. Each lunch was tested on one day. In a crossover trial in 60 men, a vegan tofu meal raised satiety over a processed meat and cheese meal by 9 percent in men with type 2 diabetes, 18.7 percent in obese men and 25 percent in healthy men. Neither trial measured weight, and feeling full after one meal has not been shown to add up to weight lost.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. Soy is one of the eight major food allergens. In European studies about 0.3 percent of people have soy allergy confirmed by a food challenge, and 0.5 percent report one. That is a prevalence estimate pooled from observational studies.

If you take treatment for your thyroid, one finding is worth knowing. Across 18 randomized trials, soy left the thyroid hormones fT3 and fT4 unchanged and raised TSH by 0.25 mIU/L (95% CI 0.001 to 0.494). That result only just reached significance, the trials disagreed with each other a great deal, and they used 40 to 200 mg of isoflavones a day. Its clinical meaning is unclear. If you are on thyroid medicine and plan to eat much more soy, tell the person who adjusts your dose.

Postmenopausal women with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, prehypertension or high blood lipids gained 1.7 lb (95% CI 1.2 to 2.3; metric: 0.78 kg, 0.53 to 1.03) on phytoestrogen supplements. Those were pills, not tofu. The subgroup with obesity in the 2017 analysis, which gained 1.8 lb (0.80 kg), is another reason not to rely on soy as a diet tool.

What expert bodies say

We found no statement from the NIH, EFSA, the WHO or NICE on tofu or soy and body weight. We did not check the EU register of health claims for rejected soy weight claims in this run.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A randomized trial of whole tofu replacing meat in an energy-matched diet, with weight as the main outcome, running six months or longer. One registered trial, NCT06304480, replaces animal protein with fermented tofu. It is active and not recruiting, and may report.
• The full text of the 2017 synthesis, which would show whether its weight gains in obesity and at high doses hold up within single trials.
• A prospective cohort that tracks tofu itself, rather than soy in general, against weight change over years.

More on tofu as a food, its protein and its label history, is on the tofu page.

Sources

1. ev-tofwl-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials · n = 24 soy trials and 17 isoflavone trials
   According to the results, soy showed no overall statistically significant effect on weight, waist circumference, or fat mass, but a significant increasing effect on weight was observed in some circumstances: for instance, in obese subjects [mean difference (MD): 0.80 kg; 95% CI: 0.15, 1.45 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.02], with ingestions of ≥40 g soy protein/d (MD: 0.94 kg; 95% CI: 0.11, 1.77 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.03), with short-term applications (1-3 mo) (MD: 0.45 kg; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.86 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.03), and when soy was compared with meat (MD: 0.36 kg; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.64 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.03) and whey protein (MD: 1.53 kg; 95% CI: 0.10, 2.96 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.04).
   
   Who: adults in randomized controlled clinical trials of soy foods, soy protein or soy isoflavones
   Effect: no overall statistically significant effect of soy on weight, waist circumference or fat mass
   Certainty: The widest synthesis; outside the corpus snapshot, the full text in PMC (PMC5593113) could not be extracted. Tofu as a separate intervention not singled out.
   Advances in Nutrition, 2017 (Akhlaghi et al., meta-analysis of soy and isoflavones on anthropometric measures) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-tofwl-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · subgroup analyses within a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials · n = subgroups of 24 soy trials
   According to the results, soy showed no overall statistically significant effect on weight, waist circumference, or fat mass, but a significant increasing effect on weight was observed in some circumstances: for instance, in obese subjects [mean difference (MD): 0.80 kg; 95% CI: 0.15, 1.45 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.02], with ingestions of ≥40 g soy protein/d (MD: 0.94 kg; 95% CI: 0.11, 1.77 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.03), with short-term applications (1-3 mo) (MD: 0.45 kg; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.86 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.03), and when soy was compared with meat (MD: 0.36 kg; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.64 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.03) and whey protein (MD: 1.53 kg; 95% CI: 0.10, 2.96 kg; <i>P</i> = 0.04).
   
   Who: obese subjects and trials with soy protein intakes of 40 g/day or more, within RCTs of soy
   Effect: obese: MD +1.8 lb (95% CI 0.33 to 3.2; metric: 0.80 kg, 0.15 to 1.45); >=40 g soy protein/day: +2.1 lb (0.24 to 3.9; metric: 0.94 kg, 0.11 to 1.77); soy vs meat: +0.79 lb (0.2 to 1.4; metric: 0.36 kg, 0.09 to 0.64)
   Certainty: Subgroups are between-study comparisons, not randomized; but the direction is opposite to the promise of "tofu for weight loss".
   Advances in Nutrition, 2017 (Akhlaghi et al., meta-analysis of soy and isoflavones on anthropometric measures) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-tofwl-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 22 trials, 870 participants
   Soy products had a significant overall effect on body weight without heterogeneity (WMD, −0.34; 95% CI: −0.60 to −0.08; P = 0.009) (Figure 2).
   
   Who: overweight or obese participants in RCTs of soy protein, soy isoflavone, soy fiber or soy products lasting 2 to 24 weeks
   Effect: body weight WMD -0.75 lb (95% CI -1.3 to -0.18; P = 0.009; metric: -0.34 kg, -0.60 to -0.08), no heterogeneity
   Certainty: The effect is statistically significant, but less than half a kilogram over 2-24 weeks. The intervention is mostly protein, isoflavones, soy milk (25.5 g protein, 60-135 mg isoflavones, 8.1-24 fl oz (240-720 mL)), not tofu.
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
4. ev-tofwl-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · subgroup analyses within a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 22 trials, 870 participants
   Analysis showed that soy products significantly reduced body weight, BMI, body fat percent and waist circumference in overweight or obese Asian populations (-0.37 kg, P = 0.010; -0.27 kg/m2, P = 0.042; -0.36%, P = 0.032; -0.35 cm, P = 0.049) and more significant effects were observed in non-menopausal women reduced body weight (-0.59 kg, P = 0.041), BMI (-0.59, P = 0.041) and waist circumference (-0.59 cm, P = 0.041) in overweight or obese populations.
   
   Who: overweight or obese Asian participants and non-menopausal women in RCTs of soy products
   Effect: Asian: weight -0.82 lb (-0.37 kg), BMI -0.27, body fat -0.36%, waist -0.14 in (-0.35 cm); non-menopausal women: weight -1.3 lb (-0.59 kg), waist -0.23 in (-0.59 cm)
   Certainty: Subgroups; even the largest effect is about half a kilogram.
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-tofwl-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 13 RCTs
   Compared with the control group, the combined WMD (95% CI) of soy protein supplemented was - 1.04 kg [( -1.97) - ( -0.11)], -0.19 kg/m2 [(-0.41) - (0.02)], -0.99 kg [(-1.73) - (-0.24)] and - 0.94 cm [(-1.66) - (-0.21)], respectively.
   
   Who: overweight and obese population in RCTs of soy protein supplements published 1988-2012
   Effect: body weight -2.3 lb (95% CI -4.3 to -0.24; metric: -1.04 kg, -1.97 to -0.11); fat mass -2.2 lb (-0.99 kg); waist -0.37 in (-0.94 cm); BMI -0.19 (NS)
   Certainty: Chinese-language article, English abstract; no full text. There is no split by region in the quote.
   Wei Sheng Yan Jiu, 2013 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-tofwl-06 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 9 studies, 528 participants
   Significant reductions were found in body weight [weighted mean difference (WMD), -0.515; 95%CI: -0.895 to -0.134; P = 0.008), glucose level (WMD, -0.189; 95%CI: -0.344 to -0.033), and fasting insulin level (WMD, -0.940; 95%CI: -1.721 to -0.159) with soy isoflavone supplementation compared with placebo control group in non-Asian postmenopausal women after adjusted by unpublished studies.
   
   Who: non-Asian postmenopausal women in placebo-controlled RCTs of soy isoflavone supplements
   Effect: body weight WMD -1.1 lb (95% CI -2 to -0.3; P = 0.008; metric: -0.515 kg, -0.895 to -0.134); larger in the <100 mg/day subgroup and in BMI <30
   Certainty: Isoflavone isolate in capsules, not food; the effect is smaller in women with obesity.
   Nutrition, 2013 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-tofwl-07 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 23 RCTs, 1880 women
   In contrast, phytoestrogen supplementation was associated with increased body weight in postmenopausal women with preexisting metabolic disorders (prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, prehypertension and hyperlipidemia) [pooled mean difference of changes: 0.78 kg (95%CI: 0.53-1.03)].
   
   Who: postmenopausal women in RCTs comparing phytoestrogen supplementation with placebo
   Effect: no association with weight, BMI, waist, fat mass overall; healthy women -0.62 lb (95% CI -1.1 to -0.09; metric: -0.28 kg, -0.52 to -0.04); with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, prehypertension or hyperlipidemia +1.7 lb (1.2 to 2.3; metric: 0.78 kg, 0.53 to 1.03)
   Certainty: Phytoestrogen supplements, not tofu; the quote gives only the gain in women with metabolic disorders.
   Maturitas, 2018 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-tofwl-08 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 15 RCTs
   Results demonstrated significant beneficial effects of fermented soy on body mass index (WMD = -0.14 kg m-2, 95% CI: -0.28, -0.01, P = 0.039), waist circumference (WMD = -1.50 cm, 95% CI: -2.94, -0.07, P = 0.04), visceral fat (WMD = -692.17 mm2, 95% CI: -1011.58, -372.77, P < 0.001), fasting plasma glucose (WMD = -6.39 mg dL-1, 95% CI: -10.38, -2.40, P = 0.002), and total cholesterol (WMD = -5.0 mg dL-1, 95% CI: -6.60, -3.39, P < 0.001) compared with controls.
   
   Who: participants in randomized controlled trials of fermented soy products, searched to March 2024
   Effect: BMI WMD -0.14 kg/m2 (95% CI -0.28 to -0.01); waist -0.59 in (-1.2 to -0.03; metric: -1.50 cm, -2.94 to -0.07); visceral fat -692 mm2; other parameters not significant
   Certainty: Fermented soy (natto, tempeh, fermented soy milk), not ordinary tofu; the newest synthesis.
   Food Funct, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-tofwl-09 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 18 RCTs, 1,893 participants
   In adults aged 18 years and older, long-term supplementation of PBP (largely soy protein) did not show statistically significant differences in lean body mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), total body mass (TBM), upper and lower muscle strength, gait speed (GS), chair stand test (CST), timed up and go (TUG) test, short physical performance battery (SPPB), lipid profiles, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting blood insulin (FBI), and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR) for insulin resistance compared with ABP.
   
   Who: adults aged 18 and older in RCTs comparing plant-based (largely soy) with animal-based protein supplementation for at least 6 months
   Effect: no statistically significant differences in lean body mass, fat mass or total body mass
   Certainty: Long studies; the comparison is "soy instead of animal protein", i.e. exactly what a person does who replaces meat with tofu. Isolates, not tofu.
   Front Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-tofwl-10 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials · n = 10 studies, 596 participants
    We found no significant change between soya protein supplementation and body composition parameters.
    
    Who: adults in randomized clinical trials of soya or whey protein supplementation
    Effect: soy protein: no significant change in body composition; whey: lean mass +2 lb (0.91 kg)
    Certainty: No numbers for soy in the abstract, only "no change".
    Br J Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
11. ev-tofwl-11 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover laboratory study with universal eating monitors · n = 42
    Mycoprotein and tofu preloads, in comparison to the chicken preload, were associated with lower food intake shortly after consuming the preload at lunch.
    
    Who: overweight adult females eating isocaloric pasta preloads with mycoprotein, tofu or chicken on 3 test days
    Effect: lower food intake shortly after the tofu (and mycoprotein) preload than after chicken; no compensation at dinner
    Certainty: One day per intervention; satiety does not equal weight loss. The amount eaten is not given in the abstract.
    Appetite, 2006 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
12. ev-tofwl-12 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · three-group randomized crossover study of single meals · n = 60
    Satiety was greater in all participants after the V-meal: by 9% in T2D (95%CI 4.4 to 13.6%; p = 0.004); by 18.7% in O (95%CI 12.8 to 24.6%; p < 0.001); and by 25% in H (95%CI 18.2 to 31.7%; p < 0.001).
    
    Who: men with type 2 diabetes (n = 20), obese men (n = 20) and healthy men (n = 20) eating a tofu-based vegan meal and a processed-meat and cheese meal
    Effect: satiety +9% in T2D, +18.7% in obese, +25% in healthy men; GLP-1 and amylin up after the tofu meal
    Certainty: Acute effect of a single meal; weight was not measured.
    Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
13. ev-tofwl-13 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 18 articles
    The meta-analysis showed no significant changes in fT3 (WMD: 0.027 pmol/L, 95% CI: -0.052, 0.107, p = 0.499; I2: 55.58%), fT4 (WMD: -0.003 pmol/L, 95% CI: -0.018, 0.011, p = 0.656; I2: 87.58%) while an elevation in TSH levels was observed (WMD: 0.248 mIU/L, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.494, p = 0.049; I2: 80.31%) levels with soy supplementation.
    
    Who: men and women in randomized controlled trials with soy as the intervention and fT3, fT4 or TSH measured
    Effect: fT3 WMD 0.027 pmol/L (NS); fT4 -0.003 pmol/L (NS); TSH +0.248 mIU/L (95% CI 0.001 to 0.494; p = 0.049)
    Certainty: For those treating the thyroid: borderline significance, high heterogeneity; isoflavone doses 40-200 mg (more than in a regular serving of tofu).
    Sci Rep, 2019 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
14. ev-tofwl-14 · Observational data · systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies · n = 93 studies
    The point prevalence of food challenge-verified allergy were as follows: cow's milk (0.3%, 0.1-0.5), egg (0.8%, 0.5-1.2), wheat (0.1%, 0.01-0.2), soy (0.3%, 0.1-0.4), peanut (0.1%, 0.0-0.2), tree nuts (0.04%, 0.02-0.1), fish (0.02%, 0.0-0.1) and shellfish (0.1%, 0.0-0.2).
    
    Who: all age groups in European studies of the eight big food allergens, 93 studies
    Effect: self-reported lifetime soy allergy 0.5% (95% CI 0.3 to 0.7); food challenge-verified point prevalence 0.3% (0.1 to 0.4)
    Certainty: Synthesis of prevalence, not an RCT, hence C.
    Allergy, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract