Research indicates that the postprandial glycemic benefits of consuming whole pulses are retained when consumed in a mixed meal, pureed, and ground into flours. The glycemic benefits of pulse flours when incorporated into extruded products are unknown. In a randomized, repeated-measures crossover study, adults (n = 26) consumed extruded corn snacks made with the addition of 40% pulse flour from either whole yellow pea, split yellow pea, green lentil, chickpea, or pinto bean. The control snack was 100% corn. Food intake was measured with an ad libitum meal consumed at 120 min. Blood glucose (BG), insulin and appetite were measured regularly before (pre-meal, 0-120 min) and after (post-meal, 140-200 min) the meal. Pinto bean and chickpea snacks led to lower (p < 0.05) pre-meal BG incremental area under the curve (iAUC), compared with control, whole yellow pea and green lentil snacks. Pinto bean snack also led to lower (pre-meal BG (p < 0.05) and insulin (p < 0.05) iAUC compared with control, whole yellow pea, and split yellow pea snacks. There were no differences in food intake or appetite. These findings indicate that effects of replacing corn with pulse flours in extruded snacks on BG, and insulin are dependent on pulse type. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02402504. Registered on 30 March 2015. Novelty: The incorporation of pinto bean and chickpea flour into extruded corn snacks improves postprandial glycemic response. Pulse containing snacks were equally as palatable as the corn snacks. The incorporation of pulses into corn snacks increased the protein and fibre content.

Higher-protein meals decrease hunger and increase satiety compared to lower-protein meals. However, no consensus exists about the different effects of animal and vegetable proteins on appetite. We investigated how a meal based on vegetable protein (fava beans/split peas) affected ad libitum energy intake and appetite sensations, compared to macronutrient-balanced, iso-caloric meals based on animal protein (veal/pork or eggs). Thirty-five healthy men were enrolled in this acute cross-over study. On each test day, participants were presented with one of four test meals (~3550 kilojoules (kJ) 19% of energy from protein), based on fava beans/split peas (28.5 g fiber), pork/veal or eggs supplemented with pea fiber to control for fiber content (28.5 g fiber), or eggs without supplementation of fiber (6.0 g fiber). Subjective appetite sensations were recorded at baseline and every half hour until the ad libitum meal three hours later. There were no differences in ad libitum energy intake across test meals (p > 0.05). Further, no differences were found across meals for hunger, satiety, fullness, prospective food consumption, or composite appetite score (all p > 0.05). Iso-caloric, macronutrient-balanced, fiber-matched meals based on vegetable protein (fava beans/split peas) or animal protein (veal/pork or eggs) had similar effects on ad libitum energy intake and appetite sensations.

Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) contain bioactive components with functional properties that may modify cardiovascular risk. The aims of this pilot study were to evaluate the ability of black beans to attenuate postprandial metabolic, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses and determine relative contribution of dietary fiber and antioxidant capacity of beans to the overall effect. In this randomized, controlled, crossover trial, 12 adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS) consumed one of three meals (black bean (BB), fiber matched (FM), and antioxidant capacity matched (AM)) on three occasions that included blood collection before (fasting) and five hours postprandially. Insulin was lower after the BB meal, compared to the FM or AM meals (p < 0.0001). A significant meal × time interaction was observed for plasma antioxidant capacity (p = 0.002) revealing differences over time: AM > BB > FM. Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) was not different by meal, although a trend for declining oxLDL was observed after the BB and AM meals at five hours compared to the FM meal. Triglycerides and interleukin-6 (IL-6) increased in response to meals (p < 0.0001). Inclusion of black beans with a typical Western-style meal attenuates postprandial insulin and moderately enhances postprandial antioxidant endpoints in adults with MetS, which could only be partly explained by fiber content and properties of antioxidant capacity.