Study Protocol Abstract: The Effect of Regular Lentil and Chickpea Intake on Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health in Healthy Young Adults: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

of endothelial function (flow-mediated dilation), and arterial stiffness (pulse-wave analysis and velocity), 3-day food logs, and questionnaires (to assess subjective stress and anxiety levels, activity, sleep quality, and gastrointestinal symptoms).Results: The study is currently ongoing.Upon abstract submission, 56 participants have been screened for eligibility and 13 have been enrolled (37 excluded due to low BMI, 2 excluded for gluten allergy, 3 excluded outside age range, and 1 excluded for recent antibiotic use).Conclusions: To our knowledge, this will be the first study to examine the impact of fresh daily watermelon consumption on gut microbiome, metabolome, and intestinal health features in a clinical cohort.