Overview

• The free-living 12-week trial enrolled 72 adults with pre-diabetes who each consumed one cup of chickpeas, black beans or rice daily; blood samples were collected at baseline, six weeks, 12 weeks.
• Chickpea consumption reduced average total cholesterol from 200.4 mg/dL to 185.8 mg/dL over the study period.
• Black bean intake lowered interleukin-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, from 2.57 to 1.88 picograms per milliliter.
• Researchers found no significant changes in glucose metabolism, with improvements noted in lipid profiles and inflammatory markers.
• Authors suggest swapping beans into everyday meals as a cost-effective strategy to prevent heart disease and diabetes; they plan further research on legume impacts on the gut microbiome.