Functional Snack Foods With Safflower Oil and Soy in Postmenopausal Women Having Metabolic Syndrome

This research study is being done to help researchers develop new dietary options for menopausal women to maintain a healthy weight by developing more nutritious snacks that have health benefits. From this study, the researchers hope to gain understanding on how menopausal women with metabolic syndrome digest and absorb foods with safflower oil on its own and when combined with soy. The research team hypothesize that the two different types of pretzels may be processed by your body differently and that components in the pretzel snacks may be helpful for preventing diseases like obesity and cancer. Safflower oil and soybeans contain many natural chemicals that may benefit human health. However, this relationship is not well understood. This study will look at the impact of the pretzel snacks on your blood fat and glucose levels as well as a group of chemicals found in soy called "isoflavones". Isoflavones are natural chemicals found commonly in soybeans or foods made from them. Participants will be screened to determine if they qualify in meeting the study requirements. Participants cannot have a known allergy to dairy, soy, safflower oil, or wheat protein. Also, participants will be asked to stop eating legumes (beans, peas, soy protein, sprouts and peanuts) and to document the oils they eat for the entire 14 weeks of this study. The study will require five visits to the Ohio State University Clinical Research Center (CRC) which part of the Ohio State University's Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences. Once the investigators have determined that you qualify for this study and you decide to participate, you will be consuming three different pretzels each for one month, starting with a control pretzel. After the control pretzel treatment period, you will be randomly assigned (like the "flip of a coin") to start with one of the two pretzel groups (wheat or soy pretzel with safflower oil) for your first treatment period and then switch to the other safflower o