Dietary Bean Consumption and Human Health

Dear Colleagues,

Pulse crops, i.e., grain legumes, are staple foods that are characteristic components of dietary patterns associated with human health, but their consumption is now very low in most developed countries. The United Nations sponsored “International Year of the Pulse” has renewed interest in this food source. There are economic and environmental arguments for maintaining the consumption of pulse crops as a primary source of dietary protein and fiber. However, only limited attention has been directed to the potential health benefits of retaining pulses as a primary food source in Western diets. Of the four most prominent pulses, common bean is consumed in the largest amount per capita and is a focus of this Special Issue on “Dietary Bean Consumption and Human Health” in Nutrients. However, research in which other pulses are investigated will also be considered. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a source for accurate, up-to-date scientific information on this topic. We invite you and your co-workers to consider submission of your original research findings or a review article on the topic. Manuscripts can focus on a broad range of health related issues including: 1) micronutrient nutrition, 2) chronic disease (obesity, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and/or cancer) prevention and control, 3) agronomic traits related to human health (e.g. cooking time), 4) the microbiome and gut health, 5) immune regulation, 5) closing the dietary fiber gap, 6) amino acid availability as it relates to mTOR regulation, 6) cultural and psychosocial determinants of common bean consumption, 7) xenohormesis as it relates common bean domestication, 8) the use of genomic data on common bean to improve human health characteristics of this food source, and the design of human cuisines intended to increase common bean consumption, 9) the use of common bean seed to produce microgreens, and 10) the identification of bioactive components of common bean. We encourage authors to discuss the impact of their results on efforts to increase consumption of common bean and other pulses and to identify gaps in knowledge that can guide future research studies.

Prof. Dr. Henry J. Thompson
Guest Editor

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