A systematic review of the effect of dietary pulses on microbial populations inhabiting the human gut.

Pulses are dry leguminous crops consisting of beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas. They are a broad category of food that are often aggregated when their contribution to healthy dietary patterns are disseminated. However, the different genera and varieties of pulses vary in composition and are consumed in different amounts, largely dictated by geographic region and ethnicity. Given the number of pulse-derived components, including fibre, that have the capacity to alter the composition of the gut microbiome, the objective of this study was to systematically review dietary pulses and pulse-derived ingredients as a broader food group, to determine their effect on gut microbiota in humans. Major scientific databases were used to conduct the search, which spanned from 1990 until February 2019. The search strategy identified 2,444 articles and five studies were included in this analysis. Two studies used whole pulses (chickpeas and pinto beans), one study used cooked navy bean powder, and the two remaining studies used pulse-derived fibre (lupin or yellow pea hulls). Although inconsistent, some studies demonstrated that whole pulses (pinto beans and chickpeas), cooked navy bean powder, and pulse-derived fibre (lupin kernel fibre), did impose changes to the microbiota that inhabit the human large intestine. However, there was considerable variability concerning the methodologies and endpoints used to decipher the observed effects on the abundance, diversity, and/or richness of specific microbiota or the microbiome. More extensive human studies that directly link the effects of specific types of pulses on the gastrointestinal microbial environment to health outcomes in the host are required.

Health claims using the term 'sustained energy' are trending but glycaemic response data are being used to support: is this misleading without context?

One of the most recent food trends is the quest for products that provide 'sustained energy'; a term that is garnering considerable attention within the marketplace. Often, 'sustained energy' health claims are based on a food's post-prandial glycaemic response. However, are generalised health claims regarding 'sustained energy' valid when only supported by glycaemic response data? Without context, the short answer is: probably not. Health claims that link sustained energy to a glycaemic response, or any other attribute of a food or diet, require context to ensure that the public correctly interprets and experiences the claimed effect and is not misled in their quest for healthy foods that impose the desired physiological benefit.

Hypocholesterolemic and anti-obesity effects of saponins from Platycodon grandiflorum in hamsters fed atherogenic diets.

Platycodins, a group of saponin glycosides from Platycodon grandiflorum, are believed to possess anti-obesity and cholesterol-lowering properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether dietary platycodins affect plasma, hepatic, or fecal cholesterol concentrations, as well as cholesterol absorption and fractional synthesis rates in a dose-dependent manner. Golden Syrian hamsters (n= 45) were fed atherogenic (0.25% cholesterol) diets enriched with platycodins in the forms of either aqueous extracts (containing 0.3% to 0.5% of platycodins of diet mass) or crude saponins fractions (containing 0.9% to 1.0% of platycodins of diet mass) for 28 d. [3, 4](-13)C-cholesterol and (2)H2O tracers were administered on days 26 and 28 to assess cholesterol absorption and biosynthesis, respectively. After platycodin intervention, total cholesterol concentrations in plasma and liver were reduced (P < 0.05) by 13% to 28% and 41% to 79%, respectively, whereas cholesterol concentrations in feces were increased (P < 0.05) up to 2.5-fold compared to controls. Platycodin feeding increased (P < 0.001) cholesterol absorption up to 60%, but not cholesterol synthesis. These results suggest that platycodin-enriched diets can lower circulating and whole body cholesterol contents, and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases through mechanisms independent from cholesterol absorption or synthesis.