Impact of Eating Beans on Metabolism

The objective of this project is to test whether consuming a whole food that naturally contains resistant starch (RS), such as pulses, increases fat oxidation. The primary hypothesis is that consuming a RS-rich meal in which the RS is derived from a whole food (i.e., pinto beans, pinto bean flour) will increase postprandial fat oxidation to a greater extent than consuming a meal low in RS but containing the same amount of energy and macronutrient content.

Inclusion criteria

• BMI >18.5 or <30 kg/m2
• Ability to understand and sign the consent form
• Ability of transportation (i.e., participants must be able to provide their own transportation to the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center)
• Non-smoking or use of other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes
• Not taking steroid-based medications; not planning to or currently attempting to gain or lose weight
• All females of childbearing age must be on birth control for a minimum of 3 months prior to start of study

Exclusion criteria

• Inability or unwillingness to consume any food item in the test meals
• More than a 10% change in body weight within the past 2 months
• Participation in a weight loss diet/exercise program
• Current or planned pregnancy
• Lactation
• Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic >160 mmHg or diastolic >100 mmHg)
• Diagnosed cardiovascular, pulmonary, skeletal and metabolic diseases
• Fasting glucose > 100 mg/dL or non-fasting (1-2 hours after eating) >140 mg/dL
• Using medications known to affect appetite, blood lipids, body composition, body weight, or food intake (appetite control drugs, steroids, antidepressants)
• Non-English speaking