A Daily Cup of Beans Boosts Heart Health
A simple cup of beans—costing less than a dollar—might hold the key to restoring healthy cholesterol levels, according to recent research.
In a 12-week study, individuals with prediabetes who incorporated chickpeas into their daily diet experienced a remarkable nearly 15-point reduction in cholesterol. Meanwhile, those who enjoyed black beans saw a 27 percent decrease in a crucial inflammation marker associated with heart disease and diabetes.
Significant Health Improvements
The study, recently presented at NUTRITION 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, tracked 72 adults with prediabetes randomly assigned to eat one cup daily of either black beans, chickpeas, or white rice as a control. Lead researcher Morganne Smith, a doctoral candidate at Illinois Institute of Technology, measured cholesterol, inflammation markers, and blood sugar at the study's start, midpoint, and conclusion.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
4 days ago
- Medscape
Diabetes Plus Asthma Equals Greater Metabolic Risk
People with both diabetes and asthma appear to face greater metabolic risks than those with either condition alone, according to new observational data. In a study of more than 18,000 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2001-2020, individuals with both asthma and diabetes (most presumed to have type 2 diabetes) had significantly greater impairments in glucose regulation, insulin sensitivity, and lipid metabolism compared with those who had only one condition alone or neither. Inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) were also elevated in the comorbid group, 'supporting a hypothesis of a shared inflammatory mechanism,' Sixtus Aguree, PhD, assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, and colleagues wrote in a poster presented at NUTRITION 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. The findings 'emphasize the need for integrated clinical strategies that simultaneously target both inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in patients with asthma-diabetes comorbidity,' the authors wrote. 'Routine screening for insulin resistance and inflammatory markers in [these] patients may aid in early intervention and risk reduction.' This points to the need for integrated clinical care, Aguree told Medscape Medical News . 'For managing these comorbid conditions, healthcare professionals need to work together. I think that's a better way to treat the person than working in silos.' Bidirectional Relationship Commenting on the findings, Tianshi David Wu, MD, assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told Medscape Medical News that these findings align with current evidence. 'Diabetes and asthma have a bidirectional relationship,' Wu explained. 'Population studies have shown that patients with diabetes are at higher risk of developing asthma later on, and vice versa. What's still unknown are the mechanisms that explain this finding.' Wu added that the researchers had put forth a reasonable hypothesis — that systemic inflammation may play a key role in this association. 'The best way to prove this would be with a trial that specifically targets the type of inflammation you think is driving both asthma and diabetes to see how it affects these conditions.' As a possible blueprint, he pointed to cardiology, where patients with heart failure and diabetes are preferentially treated with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, which are effective at treating both conditions. 'In the asthma world, I don't think the evidence is there yet to recommend any specific diabetes medication, but there is plenty of real-world data suggesting some benefit, and there are two clinical trials ongoing testing semaglutide and metformin to see if they can improve asthma,' Wu said. Surprising Impact on Insulin Resistance The study included 18,370 nationally representative US adults. Among them, 8.2% had diabetes without asthma, 7.4% had asthma without diabetes, 83.3% had neither (controls), and 1.2% had both. BMI was highest in the combined asthma-diabetes group (35.9 kg/m2 vs. 28.2 kg/m2 in controls, P < .001), as was waist circumference (117.6 cm vs. 97.3 cm, P < .001). Insulin resistance, defined as a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) > 2.5, was present in 41% of controls, 46.8% with asthma only, 77.3% with diabetes only, and 85.6% with both conditions. The HOMA-IR score in the asthma-diabetes group was significantly higher than in controls (9.85 vs. 2.96, P < .001). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that the odds of insulin resistance were nearly eight times higher in the asthma-diabetes group than in the control group (odds ratio [OR], 7.89, P < .001), even after adjusting for BMI, sex, and medication use. 'We didn't expect insulin resistance to be that much higher in the combination of asthma and diabetes. That shocked us,' Aguree said. Asthma alone was not significantly associated with insulin resistance (OR, 0.76, P = .220), 'underscoring the additive impact of coexisting diabetes,' the authors wrote in their poster. Additional Metabolic Outcomes Absolute values of LDL cholesterol were 115.9 mg/dL and 114.5 mg/dL, respectively, for controls and asthma only, vs 98.9 mg/dL and 104.8 mg/dL for diabetes only and asthma-diabetes groups, respectively. The lower value in those with diabetes is likely due to greater use of statins, Aguree noted. In contrast, compared with controls, those in the asthma-diabetes group had significantly lower levels of HDL cholesterol, while triglycerides and the triglyceride/HDL ratio were higher ( P < .001 for all). Systolic blood pressure was also significantly higher in the comorbid group ( P < .001), as was diastolic blood pressure, although to a lesser extent ( P = .012). A1c levels were 5.41% in controls and 5.46% in the asthma-only group, both significantly lower than levels in the diabetes group (7.34%) and the comorbid group (7.11%), Aguree said. Log-CRP values were 0.530 units higher in the asthma-diabetes group than in controls ( P < .001), as were hs-CRP (1.70 mg/L vs 0.60 mg/L, P < .001). Aguree and colleagues are now expanding their analysis to include longitudinal data and evaluate integrated interventions, such as combined anti-inflammatory and glucose-lowering medications, as a means of reducing the burden of both conditions. Aguree had no disclosures. Wu declared receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health and the American Lung Association.
National Geographic
6 days ago
- National Geographic
The diet that could make your brain 7 years younger
Many people worry about losing their mental sharpness as they get older. That's not surprising given that we're all hearing about rising rates of dementia as the population ages: A study in the January issue of Nature Medicine suggested that by the year 2060, the number of adults in the U.S. who will develop dementia is likely to double to a million people. That's a club no one wants to join. Fortunately, science is showing that healthy eating habits can have a powerful impact on protecting cognitive function and memory as we get older. Developed in 2015 by researchers studying the effects of diet on brain function and cognitive decline, the (aptly named) MIND diet combines the Mediterranean diet—with its focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil—and the fruit and veggie-rich DASH diet (which was designed to prevent or treat hypertension). Effectively, the MIND diet boils down to eating more high-nutrient foods like leafy greens and berries, and avoiding highly processed foods and saturated fat-filled stuff. Studies show the MIND diet is associated with better brain function and could even help slow age-related cognitive decline . Those with the closest adherence to the MIND diet experienced slower aging of their brains—equivalent to being 7.5 years 'younger' than those with the least adherence. The MIND diet (short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) may also play a role in protecting against Alzheimer's disease and dementia. In one study that tracked middle-aged and older adults for an average of four and a half years, those who most closely followed the MIND diet had lower rates of Alzheimer's disease. Even those who moderately adhered to the MIND diet saw a decreased risk of Alzheimer's, more so than those who moderately followed the Mediterranean or DASH diets alone. Again and again—in studies involving Puerto Rican adults in the Boston area, and middle-aged and older adults in China—studies show that close adherence to a MIND-style diet is associated with better global cognitive function and less decline over time. Even when it's started later in life, the MIND diet is associated with a consistent reduction in dementia risk, according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over a period of ten years had a 25 percent lower risk of having dementia. The findings are promising not only for older adults but for younger people, too. Middle-aged women with obesity who followed the MIND diet closely for three months showed greater improvements in their working memory, verbal recognition memory, and attention, compared to women who followed a calorie-restricted diet. And a study in the April 2025 issue of Child Neuropsychology found that kids ages seven to 13 whose food intake most closely resembled the MIND diet had 'significantly lower odds of ADHD' in comparison to kids whose diet least resembled it. The secrets to its protective powers? The foods in the MIND diet reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are bad for the brain. Eating right for your brain The MIND diet is not a rigid one. It's more of a lifestyle, and a framework for thinking about foods that are best for your brain and body. It relies on a scoring system to rate people on how well they follow the diet: the closer someone adheres to the tenets of the MIND approach—by eating mostly plant-based foods, healthy fats, and lean protein and avoiding highly processed foods, saturated fats, and the like—the higher their 'score.' 'One of the beauties of the MIND diet is the fact that you don't have to be perfect on it and you still see benefits,' says Christy Tangney, a professor of clinical nutrition and family and preventive medicine at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and codeveloper of the MIND diet. 'The MIND diet offers more flexibility than the Mediterranean or DASH diets.' The key components of the MIND diet are dark green leafy vegetables (think spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collards, arugula); other colorful veggies such as asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and bell peppers; berries (all kinds); extra-virgin olive oil; and nuts like almonds, walnuts and pistachios. Also important are whole grains such as brown and wild rice, quinoa, barley, farro, oats, and whole-grain breads; beans and legumes; and fish and poultry (white meat, without the skin). And, yes, wine is permitted in moderation. The diet also encourages people to avoid (or, at least, limit) red meat and processed meats, butter and margarine, full-fat cheeses, pastries and other sweets, fast foods, and fried foods. 'One of our big goals is to reduce saturated fat and added sugar intake,' says Tangney, because they promote inflammation. The truth is, the MIND diet, the Mediterranean diet, and the DASH diet have a lot in common—especially an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and an avoidance of saturated fats, red and processed meats, fried foods, fast foods, and sweets. While the DASH diet places a premium on restricting sodium intake and incorporating low-fat dairy foods, the MIND diet doesn't. While the plant-based foods recommended in all three diets are similar, the MIND diet has a greater focus on leafy, green vegetables, berries, and nuts. How the MIND diet fights inflammation Many of the foods that are emphasized in the MIND diet—such as green leafy vegetables and berries—are high in plant-based compounds called flavonoids, which have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, notes Natalia Palacios, an epidemiologist and associate professor of public health at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. 'Oxidative stress and inflammation are very bad for the brain—and antioxidants, especially flavonoids, help reduce inflammation.' Meanwhile, 'fish, which is emphasized in the MIND diet, has long been considered one of the most brain-healthy foods because it is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect neurons from damage,' Palacios says. 'The older we get, the more inflammation we get in the brain and body,' explains Rudy Tanzi, a neuroscientist and director of the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital. 'Neuroinflammation is what leads to dysfunction in the brain, as well as nerve cell damage and cell death. 'Once you have inflammation that triggers cell death, you have more inflammation, [and] it becomes a vicious cycle,' Tanzi adds. 'The biggest benefit of the MIND diet is that it fights inflammation and damage from inflammation.' As an added perk, the diet's fiber content and diversity of plant-based nutrients feed the gut microbiome in a positive way so that 'it has more protective bacteria and less harmful bacteria,' Tanzi notes. This in turn has a positive trickle-up effect on brain health. The MIND diet may even influence total brain volume in addition to boosting overall cognitive functions like verbal memory, visual memory, processing speed, and verbal comprehension and reasoning, as one study reported. 'In terms of the integrity of the brain, polyphenols and other antioxidants preserve hippocampal volume and white matter integrity,' explains Uma Naidoo, director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and author of This Is Your Brain on Food. Indeed, a 2023 study in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia found that people who adhered most closely to the MIND diet had larger volumes of the hippocampus, thalamus, and other critical brain areas—which play key roles in memory, learning, motor control, attention, and emotional regulation—and lower white matter hyperintensities (which indicate tissue damage), as seen on MRI scans. Ultimately, the MIND diet reminds us that what we eat has as much of an effect on our brains as on our bodies. 'What matters most for brain health is overall diet quality and consistency, day after day, year after year,' says Palacios. 'It's not an age-related issue,' adds Naidoo. 'My feeling is we should always be eating this way. We want people to be thinking about their brain health all the time.' This article is part of Your Memory, Rewired, a National Geographic exploration into the fuzzy, fascinating frontiers of memory science—including advice on how to make your own memory more powerful. Learn more.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Eat your beans — 1 cup a day cuts inflammation and bad cholesterol, scientists say
Beans of all kinds are nutritional powerhouses of fiber, protein, and antioxidant polyphenols. A new study found specific types of beans like chickpeas helped participants lower cholesterol levels. Eating a cup of beans per day could help lower inflammation, and they're cheap and easy to cook with. A daily dose of beans can cut cholesterol, lower inflammation, and may help fend off chronic illnesses like heart disease, new research suggests. A group of researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology looked at 72 adults with prediabetes for three months, long enough to see changes in health metrics like blood sugar control. The participants were divided into three groups. One group was instructed to add a cup of black beans per day to their normal routine. Another group added a daily cup of chick peas. The third, the control group, ate white rice instead of beans. By the end of the 12-week study, participants who ate chickpeas reduced their cholesterol levels around 10%, from high — an average of 200.4 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) — to normal — 185.8 mg/dL. Participants who ate black beans saw a significant drop in their inflammation levels. The study, presented at the American Society for Nutrition's annual conference June 3, focused on people with prediabetes — a condition that affects more than a third of Americans. Many don't get diagnosed until it becomes advanced and is harder to manage. Diet strategies like adding beans could be a way to intervene before people develop diabetes or other health issues, Indika Edirisinghe, principal investigator in the study and professor Illinois Institute of Technology, told Business Insider. "The small change is helpful. Just 10% is like saving your life, saving your money. This is not rocket science." Beans are rich in fiber, a type of carbohydrate that helps support healthy digestion and metabolism. It also feeds beneficial bacteria in our gut known as the microbiome, which are linked to everything from good mental health to healthy aging. Beans also offer a range of polyphenols, plant-based compounds that help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress which contribute to disease. While a wealth of previous research has linked eating beans to longevity and heart health, many past studies weren't rigorous enough to show beans cause the benefits. This study used direct measurements of change like blood tests. They also uniquely assessed the health effects of different types of beans separately, instead of looking at legumes more generally. Having one group eat chickpeas and another eat black beans allowed researchers to look for potential benefits of different nutrients, Morganne Smith, a doctoral candidate at Illinois Institute of Technology who presented the study at the conference, told Business Insider. Don't be intimidated about adding beans to your daily diet. There are lots of ways to get creative without much time, prep work, or expensive ingredients. Smith said she's already a bean enthusiast, but her family has been enjoying them even more often recently with simple bean recipes. "I try to look for easy ways. Nothing too fancy," she said. To get started: Mix up a bean salad with chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and any leftover veggies you have on hand. Blend beans into a soup to create a thicker texture and add nutrients. Snack on hummus or other bean-based dips. Opt for chickpea pasta instead of wheat-based paste for more protein and fiber. Try beans for breakfast! Edirisinghe starts the day with chickpeas sauteed in coconut, olive oil, lemon juice, and a dash of salt and pepper. You can also experiment with different seasonings to create more variety in your bean regimen. Turmeric, for instance, can add earthiness and bright color, as well as a boost of anti-inflammatory benefits. Beans are also a healthy eating staple because they're both affordable and easy to find, said Smith. "On top of the health benefits, I'm excited about the idea that people will think 'That's really easy to just continue incorporating in my diet realistically,'" she said. Read the original article on Business Insider
