Supplementation with biscuits enriched with hesperidin and naringenin is associated with an improvement of the Metabolic Syndrome induced by a cafeteria diet in rats

Abstract Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has become a major public health concern. Because of their numerous health-promoting biological properties, polyphenols are potential candidates to ameliorate MetS and, recently, the incorporation of these compounds into widely consumed foodstuffs has emerged as a potential strategy to enhance their intake. Therefore, we aimed to assess the potential beneficial effects of biscuits enriched with the citrus polyphenols hesperidin and naringenin (HN) in rats that were fed either standard chow (STD) or an obesogenic cafeteria diet (CAF) for 16 weeks. The STD and CAF groups were supplemented with either control or HN biscuits for the final 8 weeks of the study. CAF-fed rats developed MetS, characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. HN supplementation in CAF-fed rats ameliorated hypertension and insulin resistance and significantly reduced body weight, mesenteric adiposity, total cholesterol, LDL-C and oxidative stress. Hence, HN biscuits may be a promising functional food against MetS.