They are one of our favourite convenience foods. And now it seems that adding a handful of beans, chickpeas or lentils to your diet every day can cut 'bad' cholesterol and slash the risk of heart disease. Researchers have found by eating one small serving a day of pulses, it is possible to cut low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 5%. This would translate into a 5 to 6% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
However most people eat less than half that a day. That's because legumes have been tied to flatulence, bloating and discomfort, although this side effect subsided after a while, said lead researcher Dr John Sievenpiper from St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto.
“Pulses are generally considered healthy, but they’re not traditionally part of current guidelines,” Sievenpiper said. “They have a lot of amazing things in them. They are a whole food, they have wonderful vitamins and minerals – magnesium, calcium, sticky fibres that lower cholesterol, plant protein, a low glycemic index,” Sievenpiper said. Consuming more pulses could also cut down on trans fats or processed meat because you’re reaching for plant protein over animal protein.
The study
In the research, Sievenpiper and research coordinator Vanessa Ha conducted a meta-analysis of more than 3,000 studies. They narrowed down their search to 26 studies that looked at any benefits pulses had to offer to 1,037 people over the course of at least three weeks.
The results showed that men had a greater reduction in their bad cholesterol levels than women. But the researchers said men's diets tended to be poorer and cholesterol levels higher, which was why they benefited more markedly.
Most of the trials involved people already on heart-healthy low-fat diets, which also produce a 5-10% reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, said the researchers.
Oats, plant sterols in margarine, soy, nuts and other products offer the same benefits, yet pulses haven’t received the same FDA approval claims.
“Our study can hopefully influence those guidelines so they can potentially consider pulses alone as a viable way of lowering bad cholesterol and improving cardiovascular risk,” he said. That means official health organizations could approve and promote pulses to those with or at risk of heart disease. Beans, chickpeas and lentils could have labels that remind consumers of their cholesterol-lowering properties, too.
Urging people to eat more pulses, Dr Sievenpiper said: “We have a lot of room in our diets for increasing our intake to derive the cardiovascular benefits. As an added bonus, they’re inexpensive.”
Sievenpiper suggests that people could increase the cholesterol-lowering benefits by building their diets around these groups of foods. Have some oatmeal in the morning, nuts as a snack and bean salad for lunch, for example. Each food would take on about a 5% decrease in bad cholesterol.
“You could build a portfolio of foods that could actually give you cholesterol-lowering that could rival drugs. That’s how diet could have a benefit in terms of heart disease risk in a way that’s meaningful and comparable with [statins],” Sievenpiper said. “Pulses are a superfood as they offer a lot of different potential benefits for people,” he said.
Use up some of those storecupboard leftovers in this delicious salad and enjoy all the benefits of beans!
Storecupboard tuna bean salad recipe
Prep: 20 mins - 30 mins / Serves 4
- 500g pack salad potatoes, such as Charlotte
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 plump garlic clove, finely chopped
- 410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small red onion or half a medium one, finely chopped
- a good handful of parsley, chopped
- 200g can tuna, drained
- 110g bag mixed salad leaves and herbs
Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, make the dressing.Whisk the oil, lemon juice, chilli powder and garlic in a bowl big enough to take all the salad. Tip in the cannellini beans, onion and parsley. Drain the potatoes and when cool enough to handle cut them in half lengthways. Now gently stir the potatoes into the salad and flake in the tuna. Pile on to a bed of salad leaves, drizzled with a little extra olive oil.
Nutrition facts per serving: Kcal 308; protein 17g; carbs 34g; fat 12g; saturates 2g; fibre 5g; sugar 0g; salt 0.56g.
Sources: http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/, http://www.sciencedaily.com/, http://globalnews.ca/news/, http://www.express.co.uk/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/, http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes