Location: Potato, Pulse and Small Grains Quality Research
Project Number: 3060-21650-002-071-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2025
End Date: Dec 31, 2026
Objective:
The aim of this project is to explore the impact of pulse consumption on cardiometabolic health, inflammation, and the gut microbiome in older adults with overweight or obesity.
Specifically, 1) assess the impact of daily pulse consumption on cardiometabolic risk factors in older adults with overweight/obesity; 2) determine the anti-inflammatory effects of pulse intake in older adults with overweight/obesity; and 3) characterize the gut microbiome’s response to pulse consumption and its associate with cardiometabolic improvements in older adults with overweight/obesity.
Approach:
This project aims to explore the impact of pulse consumption on cardiometabolic health, inflammation, and the gut microbiome in older adults with overweight or obesity. This research will assess whether daily pulse intake enhances glycemic control, improves lipid profiles, and reduces blood pressure over an eight-week intervention. Additionally, the study will examine the potential anti-inflammatory effects of pulses by measuring changes in systemic biomarkers such as CRP, IL-6, TNF-a, and interleukins-1 and -6, addressing the role of chronic low-grade inflammation in disease progression. Furthermore, researchers will analyze shifts in gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid production to identify microbiome-mediated mechanisms linking pulse consumption to metabolic improvements. All measurements will be taken upon enrollment in the study for baseline measurements and at the beginning and the end of each 8-week dietary intervention period. Participants will check-in with a dietitian to help with compliance at week 0, week 4, and week 8 of each intervention period. All pulse foods will be provided. In addition, participants will receive a recipe book and an instruction manual for each intervention period. For body composition and anthropometric measurements, height, weight, and waist-to-hip ratio will be measured in the fasted state. For dietary analyses, each participant will be trained to accurately record quantities of food and beverages using provided food scales (Greater Goods, LLC), teaspoons, and measuring cups. The following biomarkers of cardiometabolic will be measured glycemic response (fasting glucose, HbA1c, insulin resistance), lipid profiles (LDL, HDL, triglycerides, total cholesterol), and blood pressure. The following biomarkers of inflammation will also be measured: CRP, IL-6, TNF-a, IL-6. All biomarkers will be assessed using commercially available kits. Plasma amino acids will be analyzed using HPLC. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) content will be determined for all samples at all time points. Changes of microbiota profiles in response to treatments will be determined by analyzing bacterial DNA of samples from time point 0 and 24 h following protocols previously described.