Beans & Prediabetes: Heart Health Benefits
- ORLANDO — A daily serving of beans can reduce inflammation and improve cholesterol among individuals with prediabetes, according to a study presented at the annual NUTRITION meeting.
- Smith, a doctoral candidate at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and the study's lead author, told Healio that intervening before the onset of disease was effective, particularly regarding...
- The study, a randomized control trial, involved 72 participants who were assigned to consume either 1 cup of chickpeas, white rice, or black beans daily for 12 weeks.
A daily cup of beans could revolutionize heart health for individuals with prediabetes.A recent study reveals that consuming chickpeas for 12 weeks lowered total cholesterol and C-reactive protein. This exciting research underscores the benefits of incorporating beans into your diet for managing cardiometabolic health, a key area of focus at News Directory 3. Participants who ate chickpeas saw a notable decrease in cholesterol levels.The findings also support existing dietary guidelines that promote increased fruit and vegetable intake. The gut microbiomeS role in these benefits is now being investigated. Discover what’s next for bean-based dietary recommendations.
Daily Cup of Beans Improves cholesterol in Prediabetes
ORLANDO — A daily serving of beans can reduce inflammation and improve cholesterol among individuals with prediabetes, according to a study presented at the annual NUTRITION meeting. The research highlights the potential benefits of incorporating beans into the diet for managing cardiometabolic health.
Morganne M. Smith, a doctoral candidate at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and the study’s lead author, told Healio that intervening before the onset of disease was effective, particularly regarding markers associated with cardiovascular disease, such as lipids.
The study, a randomized control trial, involved 72 participants who were assigned to consume either 1 cup of chickpeas, white rice, or black beans daily for 12 weeks. Researchers tracked changes in cardiovascular measures, including blood sugar, inflammation, and total cholesterol.
Blood samples were taken at baseline, six weeks, and 12 weeks. Glucose tolerance tests were administered at the beginning and end of the study. Participants maintained thier regular lifestyles to enhance the study’s real-world applicability, according to a press release.
The research team observed a critically important decrease in total cholesterol among chickpea consumers, from an average of 200.4 mg/dL at the start to 185.8 mg/dL after 12 weeks. This reduction was attributed to decreases in both HDL cholesterol (from 52.3 mg/dL to 46.9 mg/dL) and LDL cholesterol (from 131.9 mg/dL to 119.3 mg/dL).
Chickpea consumption also led to a decrease in average high-sensitivity C-reactive protein at week six (3.5 mg/L) compared to baseline (5 mg/L), tho levels fluctuated by week 12 (3.7 mg/L).
Participants who consumed black beans experienced a reduction in the average level of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, dropping from 2.57 pg/mL at baseline to 1.88 pg/mL at week 12.
Indika Edirisinghe, a professor of food science and nutrition at IIT and a study co-author, told Healio that the data supports the overall dietary guidelines that people should eat fruits and vegetables as part of their daily diet.
“We all know that inclusion of fruits, vegetables and beans specifically can help significantly to modulate your metabolism,” Edirisinghe said.”so, this is supporting that hypothesis.”
The trial is part of a broader inquiry into how beans affect insulin and inflammation responses through gut microbiome activity,according to the release.
“The gut microbiome is very interesting, as we certainly know that these beans have a lot of fiber and some other bioactive compounds,” Edirisinghe said. ”The study provides some good evidence to help health care providers, the scientific community and consumers include beans as a part of their daily diet.”
What’s next
Further research will explore the specific mechanisms by which beans influence gut health and cardiometabolic outcomes, possibly leading to more targeted dietary recommendations.