A new review suggests that pulses such as beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils and lupin could play an important role in building healthier, more sustainable diets. Published in Nutrients, the narrative review examined evidence from the past decade on how pulses may benefit nutrition, gut health and metabolic health while generally carrying a lower environmental footprint than animal-based protein foods. However, direct human evidence linking these changes to improved health remains limited. The researchers stress that much of the evidence remains preliminary or preclinical. Transitioning Towards Sustainable Diets: Pulses, Their Role in Modulating Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health.