Effects of berry consumption on cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

The current study explored the effect of berry consumption on metabolic syndrome (MetS) factors. After full screening, 14 trials were selected for final analysis, involving 327 intervention and 284 control subjects with MetS. Berry consumption significantly increased HDL-C (WMD: 1.771 mg/dL, 95% CI: 1.415-2.128) without affecting LDL-C, TC, TG or leptin levels. BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic BP, TNF-α, IL-6, CRP, adiponectin, HbA1C, HOMA-IR, glucose and insulin remained unaffected. The subgroup analysis showed that interventions <12 weeks resulted in a significant increase in HDL-C levels and a significant decrease in serum TG levels. On the other hand, reductions in IL-6 and glucose levels were observed in interventions >12 weeks. It was also shown that CRP and HDL-C improvements were seen only in studies that included more than 50 participants. Berry consumption may improve HDL-C, glucose, IL-6 and CRP, supporting its inclusion in dietary strategies for managing MetS.