Novel Soft Pretzel Snack for Delivery of Soy and Safflower Oil As a Means of Health Promotion

In the US, 69% of adults are considered to have excessive body weight that has been associated with a sedentary lifestyle, fast food consumption, and snacking. A functional food, deliberately designed having specific physicochemical properties is an innovative approach to utilizing food ingredients intended for promoting health. Both safflower oil and soy have demonstrated anti-diabetic, pro-thermogenic, and pro-satiety activity in mechanistic and rodent studies. We hypothesize that a functional snack food such as a soft pretzel containing safflower oil either with or without soy compared to the control pretzel (wheat pretzel with no safflower oil) will reduce postprandial blood triglycerides and glucose response. Therefore, our objectives were to 1. evaluate the effects of functional snack foods containing safflower oil with and without soy on endpoints of energy metabolism in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome and 2. monitor postprandial satiety using visual analogue scale. Eighteen overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2) postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome underwent three 6 hour oral triglyceride tolerance test over 14 weeks. Women had a run-in phase with a control pretzel and then randomized to either the wheat or soy pretzel with safflower oil and then crossover to the other pretzel. Biomarkers of energy metabolism, anthropometric measurements and satiety were assessed. Results indicated no statistical differences in fasting glucose, triglyceride or cholesterol. However, significant differences were observed in serum glucose AUC’s between the soy and wheat pretzel interventions as well as triglyceride AUC between safflower oil and control pretzels. Importantly, the satiety measures showed soy-safflower pretzel suppressed hunger longer than wheat pretzel. This pilot study confirms the potential of a soy-safflower pretzel as an alternative, nutrient dense snack for curbing appetite.