Dietary pulses as a means to improve the gut microbiome, inflammation, and appetite control in obesity

Plant-based dietary indices association with appetite, appetite regulating peptides and gut microbiota in healthy women: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Plant-based diets are associated with improved appetite regulation. Moreover, gut microbiota has been linked to appetite. The present study aims to determine the association between plant-based dietary indices (PDIs) and appetite-regulating peptides (fasting level of Leptin, GLP-1, and ghrelin) and gut microbiota profile in healthy women. Furthermore, the potential covariate role of gut microbiota in the association between PDIs and appetite is investigated.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 91 healthy women (18-50 years). Body composition, anthropometric indices, dietary intake, PDIs, subjective appetite, appetite-regulating peptides (fasting level of leptin, GLP-1, and ghrelin), physical activity, sleep quality, and gut microbiota profile were evaluated.

RESULTS

There was a significant inverse association between scores of PDI and healthful plant-based dietary index (hPDI) with leptin and IL-6 (p < 0.05). A higher hPDI was associated with a lower GLP-1 concentration (p = 0.04). Additionally, uPDI (unhealthful plant-based diet index) was inversely associated with satiety (p = 0.02) and positively associated with hunger (p = 0.02). Moreover, higher PDI was associated with higher Prevotella abundance (p = 0.01). Our findings suggest that Firmicutes and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio might be involved in the associations between hPDI and both leptin and GLP-1 levels. Additionally, A. muciniphila may play a role in the association between hPDI and GLP-1 levels as a relevant microbial factor. However, the potential mediating effects of these bacteria should be investigated in future studies.

CONCLUSION

We indicated an inverse association between higher PDI and hPDI scores with appetite-related hormones and IL-6. Moreover, higher uPDI was related to appetite sensation and a higher PDI score increased the abundance of Prevotella. The association between hPDI scores and appetite-regulating hormones may be influenced by the gut microbiota. Considering lower levels of fasting GLP-1 in relation with hPDI, it appears further evaluation of the postprandial state of GLP-1 in cohort studies or intervention trials is also warrented to better elucidate their association.

The Cardioprotective Properties of Pulses and the Molecular Mechanisms of Their Action

: Legumes and their seeds (pulses) have various nutritional and health benefits and form an important part of a healthy diet. The present work reviews recent studies from the literature concerning the cardioprotective properties of legumes, particularly pulses, and summarizes their molecular basis. The literature was gathered from electronic databases, including ScienceDirect, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge, Sci Finder, and Web of Science, using the following terms: "legume seeds", "pulses", "beans", "peas", "broad beans", "chickpea", "lentils", "cardiovascular system", and "cardiovascular disease", and their combinations. The abstracts of any identified articles were initially analyzed to confirm whether they met the inclusion criteria. Pulses may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) by various mechanisms, including altering plasma lipid composition (especially lowering total and LDL cholesterol), increasing satiety, reducing inflammation, and decreasing oxidative stress and blood pressure. It is, however, unclear whether pulses maintain their cardioprotective properties after processing, and more research is needed in this area.

Dietary Nutrition: The Friend or the Foe to Gastrointestinal Health

Over the years and even centuries, instincts, habits, cultures, social determinants, wars, and health needs were, and still are, factors that have shaped our dietary nutrition [...].

Postnatal Consumption of Black Bean Powder Protects against Obesity and Dyslipidemia in Male Adult Rat Offspring from Obese Pregnancies

The adverse influence of maternal obesity on offspring metabolic health throughout the life-course is a significant public health challenge with few effective interventions. We examined if black bean powder (BBP) supplementation to a high-calorie maternal pregnancy diet or a postnatal offspring diet could offer protection against the metabolic programming of metabolic disease risk in adult offspring. Female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of three diets (n = 10/group) for a 3-week pre-pregnancy period and throughout gestation and lactation: (i) a low-caloric control diet (CON); (ii) a high-caloric obesity-inducing diet (HC); or (iii) the HC diet with 20% black bean powder (HC-BBP). At weaning [postnatal day (PND) 21], one male pup from each dam was weaned onto the CON diet throughout the postnatal period until adulthood (PND120). In addition, a second male from the HC group only was weaned onto the CON diet supplemented with BBP (CON-BBP). Thus, based on the maternal diet exposure and offspring postnatal diet, four experimental adult offspring groups were compared: CON/CON, HC/CON, HC-BPP/CON, and HC/CON-BBP. On PND120, blood was collected for biochemical analysis (e.g., lipids, glycemic control endpoints, etc.), and livers were excised for lipid analysis (triglycerides [TG] and cholesterol) and the mRNA/protein expression of lipid-regulatory targets. Compared with the CON/CON group, adult offspring from the HC/CON group exhibited a higher (p < 0.05) body weight (BW) (682.88 ± 10.67 vs. 628.02 ± 16.61 g) and hepatic TG (29.55 ± 1.31 vs. 22.86 ± 1.85 mmol/g). Although maternal BBP supplementation (HC-BBP/CON) had little influence on metabolic outcomes, the consumption of BBP in the postnatal period (HC/CON-BBP) lowered hepatic TG and cholesterol compared with the other treatment groups. Reduced hepatic TG in the HC/CON-BBP was likely associated with lower postnatal BW gain (vs. HC/CON), lower mRNA and protein expression of hepatic Fasn (vs. HC/CON), and lower serum leptin concentration (vs. CON/CON and HC groups). Our results suggest that the postnatal consumption of a black-bean-powder-supplemented diet may protect male rat offspring against the programming of obesity and dyslipidemia associated with maternal obesity. Future work should investigate the bioactive fraction of BBP responsible for the observed effect.