• April 24, 2024

Eating beans, lentils and other legumes could help reduce the cholesterol LDL "bad" and decrease the risk of heart disease, suggests research published in the journal CMAJ, the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Canadian researchers examined 26 US and Canadian studies that had a total of more than a thousand people. The analysis showed that a daily serving (3/4 cup) of vegetables (foods such as beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas) was associated with a reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by five percent. The study could not confirm that it was a causal relationship, but it did show a strong association.

Decreases the risk of heart disease

The five percent reduction in LDL cholesterol suggests that the potential risk of heart diseases It's five percent lower, according to a team led by Dr. John Sievenpiper of the Clinical Center for Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

The healthy heart effect of legumes was greater in men than women, the research found. It could be because men tend to have worse eating habits and higher cholesterol levels than women, to begin with, so they could get more benefits if they switched to a healthier diet.

Some of the study participants reported that they had stomach problems, such as bloating, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea as a result of eating vegetables .

However, the food experts rushed to praise the humble beans, peas and lentils.

"The time has come to talk about beans: when making a small dietary change, like consuming a portion a day of beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas (as most of the world already does) we can achieve a modest reduction in cases of diseases cardiac by lowering the 'bad cholesterol' LDL, especially in men, "said Robert Graham, an internist and natural remedies specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Graham said that the analysis of the study was "methodologically strong", since people were followed for at least three weeks to test the effect of legume intake on health.

According to Graham, that three-week threshold is the same as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) US uses when evaluating any product that claims to help lower cholesterol.

Angelo White is a sports dietitian and assistant clinical professor of University of Quinnipia c in Hamden, Connecticut. White called legumes "one of the most underestimated sources of protein, they have fiber to fight hunger and protein, so I'm not surprised to see the results of this study."

But White added that "the hard part is getting Americans to eat more. foods like hummus and lentil soup over low heat, and add beans to pasta dishes, soups, salads and quesadillas to include more in the daily diet. "
 

Video Medicine: 15 Foods That Reduce Your Heart Attack Risk by 80% (April 2024).