Daily cup of chickpeas can lower cholesterol, researchers find

A daily cup of chickpeas can lower cholesterol while black beans reduce inflammation, research suggests.

A small study found the simple bean could boost people’s health and may be an affordable way to lower the risk of chronic disease.

Over the course of 12 weeks, the study on 72 people with pre-diabetes (where blood sugars are higher than usual but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes) found improved cholesterol levels among those eating a daily serving of chickpeas (about 160g cooked weight).

Meanwhile, eating black beans was also linked to reduced inflammation (with one cup of cooked black beans weighing about 170g).

Benefits

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Florida, but has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Morganne Smith, researcher at Illinois Institute of Technology, said: “Individuals with pre-diabetes often exhibit impaired lipid metabolism and chronic low-grade inflammation, both of which can contribute to the development of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

“Our study found that bean consumption helped significantly lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation in people with pre-diabetes, although glucose levels were not changed.

“(We) showed the benefits of consuming beans in adults with pre-diabetes, but they are a great option for everyone.

“These findings could be used to inform dietary guidelines, clinicians or public health programmes focused on preventing heart disease and diabetes.”

Cost-effective

In the study, people were randomly assigned to eat either one cup of black beans, chickpeas or rice (as the control group) for 12 weeks.

Blood samples were taken at the start of the study, at six weeks and at 12 weeks to track cholesterol, inflammation and blood sugar.

Glucose tolerance tests were conducted at the beginning and end of the study.

For the group consuming chickpeas, total cholesterol significantly decreased from an average of 200.4 milligrams per decilitre at the beginning of the study to 185.8 milligrams per decilitre after 12 weeks, researchers said.

For those eating black beans, the average level of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 – a marker of inflammation – was 2.57 picograms per millilitre at the start of the study and significantly decreased to 1.88 picograms per millilitre after 12 weeks.

Ms Smith suggested swapping less healthy foods for beans (whether tinned, dried or frozen) could be good for those wanting to eat more healthily.

She added: “There are a lot of ways to incorporate beans into your regular diet as a cost-effective way to support overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

“You can blend them to add some thickness to a soup base, add them as a salad topping, or pair them with other grains like rice or quinoa.”