1. Introduction
abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia
BLOOD, IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE, INSULIN RESISTANCE, ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE, REGRESSION, METABOLIC SYNDROME, TYPE 2 DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS, METABOLIC SYNDROME, DYSLIPIDEMIA
Dietary strawberries have been shown to improve cardiometabolic risks in multiple clinical trials. However, no studies have reported effects on serum metabolomic profiles that may identify the target pathways affected by strawberries as underlying mechanisms. We conducted a 14-week randomized, controlled crossover study in which participants with features of metabolic syndrome were assigned to one of the three arms for four weeks separated by a one-week washout period: control powder, 1 serving (low dose: 13 g strawberry powder/day), or 2.5 servings (high dose: 32 g strawberry powder/day). Blood samples, anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and dietary and physical activity data were collected at baseline and at the end of each four-week phase of intervention. Serum samples were analyzed for primary metabolites and complex lipids using different mass spectrometry methods. Mixed-model ANOVA was used to examine differences in the targeted metabolites between treatment phases, and LASSO logistic regression was used to examine differences in the untargeted metabolites at end of the strawberry intervention vs. the baseline. The findings revealed significant differences in the serum branched-chain amino acids valine and leucine following strawberry intervention (high dose) compared with the low-dose and control phases. Untargeted metabolomic profiles revealed several metabolites, including serum phosphate, benzoic acid, and hydroxyphenyl propionic acid, that represented improved energy-metabolism pathways, compliance measures, and microbial metabolism of strawberry polyphenols, respectively. Thus, dietary supplementation of strawberries significantly improves the serum metabolic profiles of cardiometabolic risks in adults.Metabolic syndrome, defined as a cluster of cardiometabolic risk conditions, includes a large waist circumference, dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, as well as insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance, and has been identified as a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and its cardiovascular complications [The human serum metabolome represents a plethora of compounds that are largely affected by diet and lifestyle factors, as well as the gut microbiome [In our previously reported studies, strawberry supplementation was shown to decrease the total and LDL cholesterol in overall healthy adults with abdominal obesity and dyslipidemia [