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Last Updated: Apr 16, 2008 - 5:52:06 PM |
Consuming
as little as one-half cup of cooked dry beans every day helped
volunteers lower their total cholesterol levels in an Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) study in North Dakota. These results, published
in the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition by the ARS scientists
and their colleagues, add to a growing--and convincing--body of
evidence that beans are a heart healthy food choice.
The lead
authors, chemist Philip Reeves and nutritionist John Finley (no longer
with ARS), conducted the study at the agency's Grand Forks Human
Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, N.D. ARS is the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
Experts
consider a lipid profile, which provides a complete cholesterol count
based on blood tests, to be a valid biomarker for the risk of
cardiovascular disease. Because cardiovascular disease is a
lifestyle-related disease, interventions that improve cholesterol
profiles are considered beneficial to health. Positive changes in
physical activity and diet may result in substantial improvements.
The
researchers tested 80 volunteers aged 18 to 55 years. Half were
healthy, while half had at least two symptoms that lead to metabolic
syndrome, a combination of conditions that signal a risk for
cardiovascular disease. Those with "pre-metabolic-syndrome" had
abdominal obesity and either high triglyceride levels, low HDL "good"
cholesterol, high blood sugar, or high blood pressure.
For 12
weeks, half of the group was randomly selected to eat one-half cup of
cooked dry pinto beans daily along with their regular daily diet. The
others ate a replacement serving of chicken soup instead of the pinto
beans. The findings show that, compared to measures taken prior to the
12-week test phase, all the volunteers--the healthy ones as well as
those with symptoms--who ate pinto beans saw a reduction in their
cholesterol levels.
While the findings confirm earlier studies
by other researchers showing that eating beans lowers cholesterol
levels, the mechanisms that underlie the effect require further study.
Funding
was provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International
Development through the Accord, Mass.-based Beans for Health Alliance.
______________________________
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Rosalie Marion Bliss, (301) 504-4318, rosalie.bliss@ars.usda.gov
November 28, 2007
--View this report online, plus photos and related stories, at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
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© 2004-2008 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified
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