Adding beans and pulses = improved nutrient intakes + higher diet quality

 

 

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When people add one cup of Beans and/or Chickpeas daily to their diet, diet quality improves.

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Credit: Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses

  New research showing the association between greater bean and pulse consumption and improved shortfall nutrient intakes and a higher diet quality in American adults will be presented during the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the Academy) Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) 2024 in Minneapolis, MN. The poster session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2024, from 10:45 – 11:45 AM CT at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  

Researchers assessed the effect of increased bean and pulse consumption, in the typical US dietary pattern, on shortfall nutrient intakes and diet quality outcomes. According to the findings, dietary patterns that are rich in beans and pulses are associated with significantly higher diet quality scores and greater intake of shortfall nutrients, including nutrients of public health concern. 

Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family.  Pulses grow in pods and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and include beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils.  For this study, canned and dried kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans (beans) were included in the composite. 

Impact on Shortfall Nutrients

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018, the analyses modeled the addition of one- and two-servings of beans (as outlined above) in adults. Results show that greater consumption of beans is associated with significant increases in several shortfall nutrients, including dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and choline.

Impact on Diet Quality

Additionally, the addition of 1 and 2 servings of beans daily to the US typical dietary pattern significantly increased overall diet quality, as assessed by USDA’s Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015).  In fact, HEI-2015 total scores were 15% greater with an additional serving of beans and 19% higher with 2 servings of beans, relative to the US typical dietary pattern.

In both younger and older adults, this evaluation showed that beans contributed to a substantial increase to daily dietary fiber intake.iv  This is critical since fewer than 1 in 10 US adults meet fiber recommendations to maintain optimal digestive health and prevent chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.[i]  Additionally, the majority of US adults fall short on meeting potassium recommendations.[ii]  According to the American Heart Association[iii],[iv], “foods with potassium can help control blood pressure by blunting the effects of sodium and the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you process out of the body.”

“This research clearly shows that eating beans and pulses is good, but eating more is better.,” states study author Yanni Papanikolaou, of Nutritional Strategies Inc.  “Beans and pulses are excellent sources of fiber, folate and potassium and excellent sources of plant protein that also provides iron and zinc like other protein foods.” The study was funded by Cannedbeans.org on behalf of Bush’s Best and the Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses.

Beans and pulses remain under consumed in the United States, with greater than 80% of the population below recommendations.[v]  Consumption data show beans, peas, and legumes are consumed in relatively small amounts, at an average of 0.1 cup/day.[vi]  Recent research published in April and June of 2024 shows that dietary patterns rich in canned and dried kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and/or chickpeas are associated with significantly higher diet quality scores.[vii],[viii] Highest diet quality scores are associated with 24% decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, 31% reduced risk for coronary heart disease, 20% lowered risk for stroke, 23% decreased risk for diabetes, and 6% reduced risk for cancer. [ix] 

“This research supports the growing body of evidence that consumption of beans and pulses may have numerous nutrient and public health benefits,” said Tim McGreevy, CEO, of USA Pulses.  “In fact, pulses are so nutritious that they were recently listed on DietaryGuidelines.gov as among the highest sources of potassium, iron and fiber, three nutrients of concern, in the latest health professional resources.”

Inflammation in the American diet

Almost six in 10 Americans have pro-inflammatory diets, increasing the risk of health problems including heart disease and cancer, according to a new study that used a tool designed to examine inflammation in the diet.

The research team used the dietary inflammatory index, a tool developed a decade ago that includes 45 dietary components to examine the diets of more than 34,500 adults included in the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. 

Based on self-reported diets, they used the tool to assign inflammation values ranging from −9 to 8, where 0 represents a neutral diet. About 34% of those in the study had anti-inflammatory diets, and the remaining 9% had neutral dietary inflammatory levels. The study was recently published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

Older dietary measures look at the intake of certain food groups (such as fruits, vegetables and dairy) or macronutrients (such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats) that align with national diet recommendations or certain diets like keto or paleo.

“But inflammation is an important element to consider and the overall balance of diet is most important,” lead author Rachel Meadows said.

“Even if you’re eating enough fruits or vegetables, if you’re having too much alcohol or red meat, then your overall diet can still be pro-inflammatory.”

“There’s a potential here to think about positive interventions, such as adding more garlic, ginger, turmeric and green and black tea — which are all anti-inflammatory — to your diet,” she said.

“Moving toward a diet with less inflammation could have a positive impact on a number of chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even depression and other mental health conditions.”

The Dietary Inflammatory Index assigns a numerical score to a total of 45 parameters consisting of individual foods, food components and nutrients to indicate whether a person’s overall dietary pattern is considered pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. The score system assigns a more negative number to foods that contribute to anti-inflammatory benefits, whereas a more positive number assigned to food components indicating they possess more pro-inflammatory properties. A food or nutrient with a score of zero is considered “neutral,” meaning it has neither pro- nor anti-inflammatory relevance.  

Anti-inflammatory foods, food components and nutrients

Among the list of the most anti-inflammatory foods are the following:  

• Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout)
• Nuts
• Berries
• Ginger
• Leafy green vegetables
• Green tea
• Turmeric
• Tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dark chocolate
• Antioxidants
• Fiber

Pro-inflammatory foods, food components and nutrients

Among the list of the most pro-inflammatory foods are the following: 

• Processed meats
• Sugar sweetened beverages
• Refined grains
• Fried foods
• Foods high in saturated fat
• Trans fat
• High sodium foods
• Alcohol 

Frequent fizzy or fruit drinks, high coffee consumption = higher stroke risk

 Frequent drinking of fizzy drinks or fruit juice is associated with an increased risk of stroke, according to new findings from global research studies co-led by University of Galway, in collaboration with McMaster University Canada and an international network of stroke researchers.

The research also found that drinking more than four cups of coffee per day also increases the risk of stroke.

The findings come from two analyses of the INTERSTROKE research project which have been published – the effects of fizzy drinks, fruit juice/drink and water was reported in the Journal of Stroke; and the findings related to tea and coffee in the International Journal of Stroke.

Stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut-off and damages brain cells - it can either be ischemic stroke, which is usually due to a blood clot, or when there intracerebral haemorrhage, which is bleeding into the brain tissue.

INTERSTROKE is one of the largest international studies of risk factors for stroke, involving almost 27,000 people, in 27 countries, including almost 13,500 people who experienced their first stroke.

Those who took part in the study came from a broad range of geographical and ethnic backgrounds, with different cardiovascular risk profiles, including Ireland and the UK.

The study which focused on people’s consumption of fizzy drinks and fruit juice found:

• Fizzy drinks, including both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened such as diet or zero sugar, were linked with a 22% increased chance of stroke, and the risk increased sharply with two or more of these drinks a day
• The link between fizzy drinks and chance of stroke was greatest in Eastern/Central Europe and Middle East, Africa, and South America
• The research noted that many products marketed as fruit juice are made from concentrates and contain added sugars and preservatives, which may offset the benefits usually linked with fresh fruit, and actually increase stroke risk
• Fruit juice drinks were linked with a 37% increase in chance of stroke due to bleeding (intracranial haemorrhage). With two of these drinks a day, the risk triples
• Women show the greatest increased chance of stroke due to bleeding (intracranial haemorrhage) linked to fruit juice/drinks
• Drinking more than 7 cups of water a day was linked with a reduced odds of stroke caused by a clot

Lead researcher on both studies Professor Andrew Smyth, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at University of Galway and Consultant Physician at Galway University Hospitals, said: “Not all fruit drinks are created equal - freshly squeezed fruit juices are most likely to bring benefits, but fruit drinks made from concentrates, with lots of added sugars and preservatives, may be harmful. Our research also shows that the chance of stroke increases the more often someone consumes fizzy drinks.

“As a doctor and as someone who has researched the risk of stroke, we would encourage people to avoid or minimise their consumption of fizzy and fruit drinks, and to consider switching to water instead.”

The study which focused on people’s consumption of coffee and tea found:

• Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day increased chance of stroke by 37%, but not associated with stroke risk for lower intakes
• Drinking tea was linked with a reduced chance of stroke by 18-20%
• Drinking 3-4 cups per day of black tea - including Breakfast and Earl Grey teas, but not green tea or herbal teas - was linked with a 29% lower chance of stroke
• Drinking 3-4 cups per day of green tea was linked with a 27% lower chance of stroke
• Adding milk may reduce or block the beneficial effects of antioxidants that can be found in tea. The reduced chance of stroke from drinking tea was lost for those that added milk
• There were important geographical differences in the findings - tea was linked with lower chance of stroke in China and South America but higher chance of stroke in South Asia

Professor Martin O’Donnell, Executive Dean of College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at University of Galway and Consultant Stroke Physician at Galway University Hospitals, co-leads the INTERSTROKE study in partnership with Professor Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Canada.

            Professor O’Donnell said: “A key goal of the INTERSTROKE study is to provide usable information on how to reduce one’s risk of stroke. While hypertension is the most important risk factor, our stroke risk can also be lowered through healthy lifestyle choices in diet and physical activity. The current study adds further information on what constitutes healthy choices on daily intake of beverages.”

A series of findings have been released as part of the wider INTERSTROKE project and can be accessed here. 

A longer overnight fast and an early breakfast = lower body mass index

To keep weight in check, it is not only important to consider what we eat, but also the times at which we eat. According to a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, there are two specific habits that are associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) in the long term: keeping a longer overnight fast and eating breakfast early. This research was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation.

The study involved more than 7,000 volunteers aged 40-65 from the GCAT | Genomes for Life cohort, a project led by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). In 2018, participants answered questionnaires about their weight and height, eating habits including meal times, other lifestyle habits and socioeconomic status. In 2023, after five years, more than 3,000 participants made a follow-up visit to the research team, where their measures were registered again and new questionnaires were completed.

 

Interpretation of results

"Our results, in line with other recent studies, suggest that extending the overnight fast could help maintain a healthy weight if accompanied by an early dinner and an early breakfast. We think this may be because eating earlier in the day is more in line with circadian rhythms and allows for better calorie burning and appetite regulation, which can help maintain a healthy weight. However, it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions, so recommendations will have to wait for more robust evidence", explains Luciana Pons-Muzzo, researcher at ISGlobal at the time of the study and currently at IESE Business School.

 

Gender differences

Analysis of the data by gender showed that, compared to men, women generally showed lower BMI, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet, lower propensity to consume alcohol, poorer mental health, and were more likely to be responsible for household or family supervision.

The team used a statistical technique called 'cluster analysis' to group individuals with similar characteristics. From the results of this analysis, the authors were struck by a small group of men whose first meal of the day was after 14:00 and who, on average, fasted for 17 hours. Compared to the rest, this group of men tended to have less healthy lifestyles (more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, less physical activity, less adherence to the Mediterranean diet), and had lower levels of educational attainment and were more likely to be unemployed. These patterns were not observed in any group of women. 

 

On intermittent fasting

"There are different ways of practising what is known as 'intermittent fasting' and our study relates to one of them, which is overnight fasting. What we observed in a subgroup of men who do intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast is that this practice has no effect on body weight. Other intervention studies in participants with obesity have shown that this tactic is no more effective than reducing calorie intake in reducing body weight in the long term," says Camille Lassale, ISGlobal researcher and senior co-author of the study.

"Our research is part of an emerging field of research known as 'chrononutrition', which focuses not only on analysing what we eat, but also the times of day and the number of times we eat", says Anna Palomar-Cros, researcher at ISGlobal at the time of the study and currently at IDIAP Jordi Gol. "At the basis of this research is the knowledge that unusual food intake patterns can conflict with the circadian system, the set of internal clocks that regulate the cycles of night and day and the physiological processes that must accompany them", she adds.

 

Previous studies

This study provides continuity to a line of ISGlobal research on chrononutrition, which in recent years has published two other studies with results in the same direction. In these studies, it was observed that eating dinner and breakfast early was associated, respectively, with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

 

One in three Americans has a dysfunctional metabolism, but intermittent fasting could help

 

More than one-third of adults in the United States have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that significantly raise a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels.

In a new clinical trial, researchers at the Salk Institute and University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that time-restricted eating—also known as intermittent fasting—could offer significant health benefits to adults with metabolic syndrome. Patients who ate within a consistent eight-to-ten-hour window each day for three months saw improvements in several markers of blood sugar regulation and metabolic function compared to those who received standard treatments.

“Our bodies actually process sugars and fats very differently depending on the time of day,” says Salk Professor Satchidananda Panda, co-corresponding author of the study and holder of the Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair. “In time-restricted eating, we are re-engaging the body’s natural wisdom and harnessing its daily rhythms to restore metabolism and improve health.”

The TIMET study is the first to evaluate the benefits of a customized time-restricted eating schedule in patients taking medication for metabolic syndrome. The results were published on September 30, 2024, in Annals of Internal Medicine. 

“For many patients, metabolic syndrome is the tipping point that leads to serious and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease,” says co-corresponding author Pam Taub, professor of medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and a cardiologist at UC San Diego Health. “There is an urgent need for more effective lifestyle interventions that are accessible, affordable, and sustainable for the average American.”

Western diets high in sugar, salt, and fat, combined with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, are thought to have contributed to the rising rates of metabolic dysfunction. While the initial recommendation may be to “eat less and move more,” these lifestyle changes are difficult for most people to sustain long-term. The researchers say time-restricted eating offers a more practical approach accessible to a wider range of patients, including those already on medication.

“Unlike expensive pharmaceuticals like Ozempic, which require lifetime use, time-restricted eating is a simple lifestyle change that doesn’t cause side effects and can be maintained indefinitely,” says first author Emily Manoogian, a staff scientist in Panda’s lab at Salk. “Patients appreciate that they don’t have to change what they eat, just when they eat.”

In the new study, time-restricted eating protocols were customized to each participant’s eating habits, sleep/wake schedules, and personal commitments. The resulting regimen had them reduce their eating window to a consistent eight to ten hours per day, beginning at least one hour after waking up and ending at least three hours before going to sleep. Manoogian says this personalized approach made the intervention easier for patients to complete, compared to other intermittent fasting studies, which typically assign the same strict time window to all participants.

The TIMET study also accepted participants who were on medication for metabolic syndrome—a group usually excluded from such trials. This makes it the first study to measure the benefits of time-restricted eating in addition to existing standard-of-care pharmacological treatments. 

In the study, 108 adults with metabolic syndrome were randomly sorted into either the time-restricted eating group or the control group. Both groups continued to receive standard-of-care treatments and underwent nutritional counseling on the Mediterranean diet. Participants also logged their meals using the myCircadianClock mobile app, developed at Salk. 

After three months, patients who had completed the time-restricted eating regimen showed improvements in key markers of cardiometabolic health, including blood sugar and cholesterol. They also saw lower levels of hemoglobin A1c, a marker of long-term blood sugar control. This reduction was similar in scale to what is typically achieved through more intensive interventions by the National Diabetes Prevention Program. 

The time-restricted eating group also showed 3-4% greater decreases in body weight, body mass index (BMI), and abdominal trunk fat, a type of fat closely linked to metabolic disease. Importantly, these participants did not experience significant loss of lean muscle mass, which is often a concern with weight loss.

The TIMET trial adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the use of time-restricted eating as a practical, low-cost intervention to improve cardiometabolic health. The promising results suggest that healthcare providers could consider recommending the lifestyle intervention to patients with metabolic syndrome as a complement to existing treatments, though additional long-term studies are needed to determine whether time-restricted eating can sustain these benefits and ultimately reduce the risk of chronic disease.