Wheat Germ Supplementation Will Improve Markers of Gut Health, Inflammation, and Insulin Resistance in Overweight Adults

Healthy overweight (body mass index, BMI, between 25.0 ‐ 30 kg/m2) between 18 to 45 years old regardless of gender will be recruited. They will be randomly assigned to receive two energy balls containing 30 grams of wheat germ or corn meal (control) in a 4‐wk randomized controlled pilot trial. The energy balls will contain wheat germ or corn meal, peanut butter, honey and milk. Participants will be asked to consume two energy balls daily for 4 weeks. Anthropometric measures, questionnaires (medical, diet, physical activity and bowel habits), blood and fecal samples will be collected at baseline and at the end of the four week study. The investigator's primary outcome variables will be changes in fecal bacteria, immunoglobulin A, zonulin and short chain fatty acids while secondary outcome variables will be alterations in plasma markers of inflammation and insulin resistance.