The Effect of Whole Beans on Inflammation and Satiety

Determine whether eating beans with a high fat meal will reduce the inflammatory response in people with the metabolic syndrome; thereby possibly postponing the diagnosis of diabetes or other chronic inflammatory diseases. These researchers are also interested in how consuming beans can affect the length of time a person stays full after a meal.

Inclusion criteria

Men and Women 21 years old and older with metabolic syndrome

Exclusion criteria

• Smokers
• Female subjects who are pregnant or lactating
• Subjects taking any medications that would interfere with outcomes of the study i.e. lipid lowering medications, anti-inflammatory drugs (i.e. ibuprofen), dietary supplements
• Subjects with any known allergy or intolerance to foods involved in the study(cantaloupe, egg, dairy, wheat, beans, couscous, grape seed extract)
• Subjects who are actively trying to lose weight
• Subjects with unusual dietary habits (i.e. pica, anorexia nervosa, extreme food restriction, binging and/or purging disorders)
• Subjects who are addicted to drugs or alcohol or who are <1 year recovery program
• Subjects who present with significant psychiatric or neurological disturbances as determined by the primary investigator (i.e. uncontrolled bipolar disorder) These subjects will be referred to their primary care doctor for further care.
• Subjects with documented atherosclerotic disease, inflammatory disease, diabetes mellitus (fasting blood sugar ≥126 mg/dl), uncontrolled hypertension (≥ 140/90mmHg), liver and kidney disease as identified by routine blood tests (chemistry panels). These subjects will be referred to their primary care doctor for further care.