Effect of Regular Dietary Consumption of Beans or Peas on Body Weight, Body Composition, and Blood Pressure in Men and Women with Mild Hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

Pulse consumption has been associated with beneficial effects on heart health. In this randomized controlled trial, 51 participants with mild hypercholesterolemia were randomly assigned to consume study food items containing ¾ cup beans, peas, or rice (control) per day, 5 days per week for 6 weeks as part of their normal diet. Dietary intake, body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, blood pressure, perceived satiety following study food intake, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and adherence to the dietary protocol were evaluated. The study foods were well tolerated. The overall self-reported compliance rate was 98.3%. GI symptoms in response to pulse consumption returned to baseline levels by the end of the trial. Consumption of beans, but not peas led to higher absolute fibre intake (g/d) and higher fibre density of the diet (g/1000 kcal). However, the dietary intervention did not induce significant changes in the intake of total energy, potassium, magnesium, sodium, or percentage energy intake from macronutrients. Consumption of beans or peas did not affect body weight, body composition, or blood pressure. Perceived satiety also did not differ among the diet groups. Further research is needed to examine the effect of consuming different pulse varieties on other risk factors associated with heart health and the minimal effective doses of pulse intake.