The United States Dry Bean Council (USDBC) awarded five scientists grants for work in the areas of health/nutrition research.

The five recipients from universities across the country were awarded a $10,000 grant in March. One of the lucky recipients was Arizona State University nutrition professor Donna Winham. She plans to study the “Effects of Pinto, Black and Dark Red Kidney Bean Consumption on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes” (T2D).

This is not the first time Winham has studied beans. Over the last few years, she has studied their affect on subjects with high cholesterol and/or pre-diabetes. (Visit www.poly.asu.edu/news/2007/08/24/ for more on that research.)

In addition to Winham’s research, other scientists will study bean consumption patterns on postprandial appetite, chronic disease prevention, attitudes toward beans, and glycemic control in adults with T2D.

The proposals involving “dry beans,” included common beans, blackeyes, lima beans and chick peas. These awards are intended to serve as “seed money” to enable university health and nutrition scientists to fund or leverage additional funding to conduct innovative experiments to elucidate the roles of bean grain or their constituents in contributing to good health and nutrition of children and/or adults.

The Health and Promotions Committee of the USDBC recognizes that limited funding opportunities exist from private and public sector sources to enable U.S. university scientists to conduct research to ascertain the roles and contributions of “beans” to nutritious and healthful diets. In order to encourage continued research by health/nutrition/dietetics scientists on “beans,” this new funding initiative seeks to achieve the following objectives:

• Enable scientists to test innovative hypotheses and conduct preliminary experiments that might position their research group to attract new or leverage additional funds from public or privates sources (i.e., federal granting agencies, industry groups, foundations, etc.) for their health or nutrition research program on beans.

• Provide a small stimulus to health and nutrition scientists at U.S. universities so that they might continue to include beans in their research programs.

• Create opportunities for U.S. university scientists with common interests in health, dietetics and consumer behavior as related to beans to network among themselves and to interact with and advise the Health and Promotions Committee of the U.S. Dry Bean Council.

For more information on healthy, versatile beans, visit www.beansforhealth.com.

Media Contacts:Jeane Wharton(605) 494-0280U.S. Dry Bean Council

Chris Lambrakis lambrakis@asu.edu (480) 727-1173 Public Affairs at ASU Polytechnic campus