Could fermented foods tame metabolic syndrome?

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Sign of metabolic syndrome Waist circumference \> 102 cm/88 cm M/W and at least one of the following: * High density lipoprotein (HDL) ≤1.0 mmol/L men / HDL ≤1.3 mmol/L * Triglycerides ≥ 1,7 mmol/L * Blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg * Fasting glucose ≥5.6 mmol/L Other inclusion criteria: * Signed informed consent * Willingness to consume the intervention foods * Body mass index 25-35 kg/m2 * Hemoglobin 120-160 g/L * Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (S-TSH) \<4 mIU/L * Serum C-reactive protein (S-CRP) \<5 mg/L * Access to a -18⁰ C freezer * Any medication stable for the last 14 days. Exclusion Criteria: * Blood donation or participation in a clinical study with blood sampling within 30 days prior to screening visit and throughout the study. * Following any weight reduction program or having followed one during the last 6 months * Food allergies or intolerances * History of stomach or gastrointestinal conditions (Inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, malabsorption, colostomy, bowel resection, gastric bypass surgery, Helicobacter infection, Peptic ulcer disease, untreated celiac disease, etc.) * Previous major gastrointestinal surgery * Pregnant or lactating or wish to become pregnant during the period of the study. * Unable to understand written and spoken Swedish * Lack of suitability for participation in the trial, for any reason, as judged by the medical doctor or PI. * Pharmacological medication with drugs known to affect the microbiota, e.g., antibiotics, within 6 months prior to baseline. * Intake of any probiotic pills or foods enriched in probiotics within 6 months prior to baseline. * Type I diabetes * Small bowel bacterial overgrowth * Diarrheal disease * Receiving pharmacological treatment for type II diabetes (treatments based on lifestyle interventions are acceptable, as long as it is compatible with the study protocol) * Using nicotine products on a daily basis (including chewing gum, patches, snus etc.) * History of heart failure or heart attack (TIA) within 1 year prior to screening * Thyroid disorder * Planned surgery within the next eight months