Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is a major consequence of obesity, increases mortality risks. Evidence shows favorable effects of nutritional approaches in the management of MetS. Accordingly, the use of functional foods has increased to enhance weight loss and reduce the risk factors associated with MetS. So, we aimed to investigate the effects of daily consumption of a functional acorn-based cake in conjunction with energy-restricted diet on some complications of patients with MetS. The study included 66 participants who were randomly assigned to either (A) a calorie-restricted diet + functional cake (FC) (n = 33) or (B) a calorie-restricted diet + a placebo cake (PC) (n = 33). Sociodemographic information, anthropometric measurements, dietary intakes, and serum biochemical parameters (inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, leptin, and endothelin) were measured before and after 8 weeks of intervention. Sixty-three participants completed this trial. After adjustment for baseline levels, consumption of FC compared to the PC resulted in a significant decrease in IL-6 (p = .03) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p = .04) levels. No differences were observed between groups with regard to serum malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, endothelin, and leptin levels (p > .05). Acorn-based cake could improve inflammation as an adjunct to an energy-restricted diet in overweight and obese patients with MetS. However, it is not clear whether acorn-based cake can be used to prevent or treat MetS because of indecisive findings regarding its ability to manage oxidative stress and serum hormones.