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Bulking up the diet with legumes such
as beans and peas can lower the risk of heart disease.
Men and women who ate legumes at least
four times a week had a 22%
lower risk of coronary heart disease over 19 years
than those who consumed legumes once weekly.
The most enthusiastic legume eaters also
had lower blood pressure
and total cholesterol, and were less likely to be diagnosed
with high blood pressure and diabetes.
Legumes are rich in soluble fiber, which
has been shown to help lower total cholesterol and LDL ("bad")
cholesterol levels and improve insulin resistance. Legumes
also contain low levels of sodium and high levels of potassium,
calcium and magnesium -- a combination that is associated
with a reduced risk of heart disease.
Folate, a mineral also found in abundance
in legumes, is thought to reduce blood levels of homocysteine,
a compound that can boost heart disease risk.
The results of their study are based
on interviews and medical exams of more than 9,600 Americans
who did not have heart disease when the study began. Over
an average of 19 years, about 1,800 cases of coronary heart
disease were diagnosed.
In other findings, individuals who consumed
the most legumes tended to smoke more and consume more calories
and saturated fat. They were also less likely to have graduated
from high school. Those who ate the most legumes also tended
to be younger and male.
Archives
of Internal Medicine November 26, 2001;161:2573-2578
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