Eating legumes linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease

Among people with the greatest consumption levels, eating legumes was linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD), says an article published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

Consuming legumes is regularly associated with significant health advantages, including a decreased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and various forms of cancer. The advantage of including beans in the regular diet is highlighted by the expanding amount of research addressing the possible positive influence of legumes on cardiovascular health and cardiometabolic variables. Therefore, through a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis, Vânia Mendes and colleagues conducted this study to summarize the evidence on the association between the intake of legumes and the risk of cardiovascular disease in general, coronary heart disease, and stroke, and to identify optimal intake levels for reduced disease risk.

For this analysis, researchers conducted a thorough search of interventional and observational studies in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up until March 2022. (PROSPERO Reg. number: CRD42021247565). Using random-effects models, pooled relative risks (RRs) comparing extreme categories of consumption were calculated. Using random-effects models, one-stage dose-response meta-analyses were also carried out.

The key findings of this study were:

1. 26 observational studies were found to be suitable after 22 831 articles were evaluated (21 prospective cohort and 5 case–control studies).

2. Consuming legumes was negatively linked with CVD and CHD but not stroke when comparing extreme categories of intake.

3. Additionally, researchers discovered evidence of an inverse dose-response correlation between CHD and consumption up to 400 g/week, after which the advantage appears to level out.

Findings of this work show a dose-response relationship between legume consumption and the risk of CHD and CVD. Any amount of legume consumption per week seems to be connected with a decreased risk, but 400 g/week seems to offer the most cardiovascular advantages. The advantages of eating our traditional legumes should not be disregarded in a time when efforts are being made to increase the intake of alternative forms of plant protein.

Reference:

Mendes, V., Niforou, A., Kasdagli, M. I., Ververis, E., & Naska, A. (2023). Intake of legumes and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis. In Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases (Vol. 33, Issue 1, pp. 22–37). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2022.10.006