(P27-003-24) Fecal Short Chain Fatty Acids Predict Eating Behavior of Postmenopausal Women After Completion of a Dietary Pulses Intervention

Objectives: Dietary fiber has health benefits mediated in part by gut-derived short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and interventions focused on supplemental sources (e.g., pulses) may have sustained health effects. The objective of this study was to determine if fecal SCFAs after 9 months (9 m) of pulse supplementation predict eating behavior of postmenopausal women.

Methods: Postmenopausal (≥1 year without menstruation) women (n=23), aged 45-70 years, not on hormone replacement therapy or medications that affect gut health, not smoking or using excessive alcohol, participated. All were asked to consume 100 g of pulses (~½ cup, alternating between chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, & lentils) daily for 9 m, and to maintain their normal diet and lifestyle. Six months after stopping supplementation, all completed 3-day food records and the 3-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) to assess cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE). Linear regression was used to examine predictors of TFEQ measures, and Spearman correlations to examine relationships between TFEQ measures and SCFAs.

Results: Six months after supplementation, women had a mean intake of 20.2 g dietary fiber/day (+/- 8.6). For each standard deviation (SD) increase in acetic acid during supplementation, CR decreased by -0.31 SD while UE increased 0.33 SD. When adding baseline levels to the model, β for CR increased to -0.26 and decreased to 0.04 for UE. Further, baseline levels predicted UE (P=0.04), suggesting persistent baseline effects. Spearman correlations indicate acetic acid (ρ=-0.57, P=0.01) and n-butyric acid (ρ=-0.46, P=0.04) were negatively correlated with CR, while baseline levels of propionic acid were negatively correlated with CR (ρ=-0.43, P=0.02) and baseline acetic acid was negatively correlated with EE (ρ=-0.51, P=0.01). The correlation between baseline acetic acid and UE was moderate (ρ=-0.36, P=0.07).

Conclusions: Pulse consumption by postmenopausal women contributes to dietary fiber intake above the national average. Certain eating behaviors (e.g., UE) may warrant longer intervention periods or additional behavioral assistance to sustain positive impacts.

Funding Sources: USDA Pulse Crop Health Initiative and the Jim and Lynn Williams Professorship