Heart Health Amounts to a Hill of Beans

Are beans really good for your heart? Yes, say the medical experts. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests having just half a cup of cooked pinto beans daily might lower cholesterol.

A 19-year analysis of the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the nation’s premier health census, found that people who ate beans four or more times a week were 22 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who ate them less than once weekly. Soluble fiber is a key reason why, says Philip Ades, M.D., author of the new EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook (The Countryman Press, 2008). “Like all foods that contain a lot of soluble fiber, beans help bind cholesterol and keep it from being absorbed in the gut,” he explains. And, as the fiber is fermented, it produces changes in  short-chain fatty acids that can inhibit cholesterol formation.(1)

The beneficial effects of bean consumption are seen regardless of an individual’s age, race, gender, blood pressure, total cholesterol, body mass index, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, smoking habits, and other risk factors for heart disease. But you have to eat beans four times a week or more to garner the benefits.

Sources:

1. Hendley, Joyce, Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart? WebMD Feature from “EatingWell,” 2008