Beans Boost Glycemic Control

Long known as low glycemic index foods, legumes, including beans, chickpeas, and lentils are recommended in bith the US & Canadian national diabetes mellitus dietary guidelines.  David Jenkins, from the University of Toronto (Canada), and colleagues studied 121 men and women with type 2 diabetes, who were randomly assigned to one of two diets for 3 months: a low-GI legume diet that required them to eat at least a cup of legumes per day, or to a diet that increased their intake of insoluble fiber via consumption of whole wheat products. The researchers used a primary outcome of change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), with a secondary endpoint of calculated coronary heart disease risk.  They observed that the legume diet significantly lowered mean total cholesterol (-8 mg/dL) and triglycerides (-22 mg/dL), while also reducing blood pressure (-4.5 mm Hg in systolic pressure)and heart rate as well.  The study authors urge that: “Incorporation of legumes as part of a low-GI diet improved both glycemic control and reduced calculated CHD risk score in type 2 [diabetes mellitus].”