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Adding two types of beans to your diet can make a huge difference in just 12 weeks.<\/p>\nAdding two types of beans to your diet can make a huge difference in just 12 weeks.<\/p>\n
This is according to a new research presented at NUTRITION 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.<\/p>\n
Known for fiber and plant-based protein, beans’ specific effects on cholesterol and inflammation hadn\u2019t been fully studied until now.<\/p>\n
Researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology recruited 72 adults with pre-diabetes (fasting blood sugar between 100 and 125 mg\/dL).<\/p>\n
The participants, averaging 41 years old and with a BMI of 30.5, were divided into three diet groups.<\/p>\n
Each group ate one cup a day of either chickpeas, black beans, or white rice (used as a control) for 12 weeks.<\/p>\n
Blood samples were taken at the beginning, at six weeks, and at the end.<\/p>\n
Glucose tolerance tests were also run to check how well participants\u2019 bodies processed sugar.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what they found:<\/p>\n
2. LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)<\/strong> dropped from 131.9 to 119.3 mg\/dL in the chickpea group.<\/p>\n 3. Black beans reduced interleukin-6<\/strong>, a major inflammation marker linked to heart disease and diabetes, from 2.57 to 1.88 pg\/mL.<\/p>\n 4. At six weeks, the chickpea group also had lower C-reactive protein levels (another inflammation marker), though this didn\u2019t hold through week 12.<\/p>\n 5. Despite involving pre-diabetics, no significant improvements in blood sugar or insulin levels were seen in either legume group.\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n Bottom line:<\/p>\n Chickpeas help lower cholesterol.<\/p>\n Black beans calm inflammation.<\/p>\n Both are wins for your heart health.<\/p>\n Beans are good, here\u2019s something better\u2026<\/p>\n If you’re serious about getting your cholesterol under control, all it takes is cutting out this one ingredient you didn\u2019t even know you were consuming\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n