The scientific literature on legumes and health is not as extensive as that for cereal grains, and it has been limited by the generally low intake of legumes in most free-living populations. However, there is consistent evidence from epidemiological studies showing that eating legumes can play a role in preventing chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and overweight, as well as improving gut health.
According to research published as part of the ATTICA Study in Greece, a dietary pattern that includes legumes, along with cereals, fish, vegetables and fruits was independently associated with reduced levels of clinical and biological markers linked to the metabolic syndrome.
Supporting this relationship are results from the Greek EPIC prospective cohort study, which found that the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 14% lower mortality among the 23,349 participants during 8.5 years, and that high legume consumption was calculated to contribute to almost 10% of the protective effect of the diet.
In a seven year longitudinal study of older people from different dietary cultures (including Japan, Sweden, Greece and Australia), higher legume intake was reported to be the most protective dietary predictor of longevity, regardless of ethnicity, with a 7-8% reduction in risk of death for every 20g increase in daily legume intake.
There are a range of nutritional characteristics associated with legumes that are considered to be protective against chronic diseases. These include:
- Low saturated fat content – replacing some animal protein in the diet with legumes reduces saturated fat intake without compromising overall protein intake.
- Low glycemic index – contributes to the satiating effect of a meal and may reduce insulin responses.
- High resistant starch content – this starch is fermented by colonic bacteria to short chain fatty acids, which in turn imparts colonic health benefits.
- Phytochemical content – non-nutritive bioactive compounds including antioxidants may play a role in the disease protection benefits of legumes. Legumes are also sources of phytosterols, isoflavones, saponins, and alkaloids, as well as some bioactive sugars, oligosaccharides and phytates.
We look at the following areas relating to legumes and health:
To view references click here
