** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** POLYPHENOL-RICH HASKAP BERRIES (HASKAP) HAVE UNTAPPED THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE HUMANHEALTH, AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS IN NORTHERN U.S. STATES ARE POISED TO INCREASE PRODUCTION IFCONSUMER DEMAND INCREASES. A CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP IS THAT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE INTERACTIONSBETWEEN GUT MICROBES AND HASKAP POLYPHENOLS TO PRODUCE BIOACTIVE METABOLITES LINKED TODOWNSTREAM HEALTH IMPACTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE NEED TO KNOW WHICH HASKAP VARIETIES AND HARVESTTIMING WILL YIELD THE GREATEST BIOACTIVE POTENTIAL. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO FORM APARTNERSHIP LINKING THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF HASKAP VARIETIES AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT MAXIMIZEHEALTH-PROMOTING COMPOUNDS TO BENEFIT BOTH CONSUMERS AND PRODUCERS. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TODETERMINE 1) THE IMPACT OF HASKAP ON THE GUT MICROBIOME AND METABOLOME, 2) HOW GUT MICROBIOMECOMPOSITION AND PRODUCTION OF BIOACTIVE METABOLITES FROM HASKAP IMPACTS HEALTH AND INFLAMMATIONBIOMARKERS, AND 3) WHICH HASKAP VARIETIES AND GROWING PRACTICES INCREASE PRODUCTION OF HEALTH-PROMOTING COMPOUNDS. A FOUR-ARMED, RANDOMIZED, TRIPLE-BLIND, PLACEBO CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL OFHASKAP VERSUS PLACEBO FOR TWO SEPARATE GROUPS WITH DISTINCTLY LOW AND HIGH METABOLIC SYNDROMESTATUS WILL BE COMPLETED. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR HEALTH BIOMETRICS, GUT MICROBIOMECOMPOSITION, INFLAMMATION, AND BOTH THE GUT AND SERUM METABOLOME BEFORE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OFINTERVENTION. HASKAP FRUIT FROM TWENTY VARIETIES WILL PRIMARILY COME FROM THE RANDOMIZED BLOCKDESIGN FIELD TRIAL AND FRUIT WILL BE HARVESTED AT FOUR STAGES OF FRUIT MATURITY, THEN ANALYZED FORPOLYPHENOL CONTENT. THIS PART OF THE STUDY WILL BE REPLICATED OVER THREE GROWING SEASONS.