Evaluating Variety- and Market-Class-Specific Effects of Dietary Pulses on Human Health

Authors

• Jiayu Tang, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Edward C. Deehan

Committee Members

Devin Rose, Kaustav Majumder, Indranil Mukhopadhyay

Date of this Version

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the graduate college at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Major: Food Science and Technology

Under the supervision of Professor Edward C. Deehan

Lincoln, Nebraska, July 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Jiayu Tang. Used by permisson

Abstract

While pulses are globally recognized for their high levels of dietary fibers, protein, and polyphenols, research often focuses on characterizing the physiological effects of a single variety. This approach overlooks the substantial genetic and compositional diversity that exists across pulse varieties and individual market classes, which can differ extensively in nutrient content and structure. These compositional differences have the potential to produce distinct physiological and microbial responses in humans, yet variety- and market-class-specific effects remain poorly characterized.

This thesis uses two complementary research methodologies to investigate the health-relevant effects of different pulse varieties and market classes, providing foundational knowledge to inform the development of variety- and market-class-specific dietary guidance for chronic disease prevention. First, clinical research was systematically reviewed to synthesize pulse variety- and market-class-specific effects on cardiometabolic outcomes and gut microbiota features. Second, a randomized, three-period crossover pilot clinical trial in healthy adults was employed to compare the effects of pink beans, great northern beans, and a five-bean mixture on surrogate measures of cardiometabolic health and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Key findings from the systematic review suggest that dietary pulses may exert variety- and market-class-specific effects on systemic inflammation, metabolic health, micronutrient status, and gut microbiota composition. Key findings from the pilot clinical trial demonstrated that, within two weeks, all three bean treatments significantly reduced LDL-C relative to baseline —13.6% following great northern bean (p < 0.001), 17.1% following pink bean (p < 0.001), and 8.6% following bean mixture consumption (p = 0.02), as assessed by linear mixed models adjusted for pre-intervention values and treatment order and corrected for multiple comparisons with Bonferroni. Improvements in hepatic insulin resistance, with a 20.2% reduction in HOMA2-IR (p = 0.005) and 20.5% reduction in fasting insulin (p = 0.008), were observed exclusively following consumption of the bean mixture relative to baseline, with differences further observed relative to pink bean consumption (p < 0.05).

Collectively, these findings provide foundational evidence for incorporating variety and market-class diversity into future clinical trials and informs the development of variety- and market-class-specific dietary recommendations as a basis for future precision nutrition research.

Advisor: Edward C. Deehan