Common Bean and Chickpea Supplemented Diets Beneficially Enhance the Colonic Microenvironment and Reduce Colitis-Associated Inflammation

Dietary impacts on the colonic microenvironment (microbiota and mucosal barrier) can play an important role in modulating gut-associated inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Pulses, such as common beans and chickpeas, are rich sources of gut health promoting bioactives, including non-digestible fermentable carbohydrates and phenolics, however, research demonstrating whole pulse effects on the colonic microenvironment and subsequent inflammatory pathologies, are lacking. Our objectives were to determine the effects of cooked bean and chickpea diets on critical aspects of colon health (microbiota activity and community structure, and colonic epithelial barrier integrity and function) and subsequent effects on disease severity following colitis-associated mucosal injury. In study 1, male C57Bl/6 mice were fed a 20% cooked black bean flour supplemented diet (BB) or an isocaloric control diet (CON) for 3 weeks, followed by exposure to dextran sodium sulphate (DSS, 2% w/v, 5d) to test...