Adding beans and legumes may lead to increased intake of missing nutrients and a higher diet quality in American adults

New research showing the association between greater consumption of beans and legumes and better nutrient intake and higher diet quality in American adults will be presented at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition (FNCE) 2024 in Minneapolis. , MN. The poster session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2024 from 10:45-11:45 CT at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The study was published in the journal: Nutrition Journal.

Researchers evaluated the impact of increased consumption of beans and legumes in the typical US diet on deficits in nutrient intakes and diet quality outcomes. According to the findings, dietary patterns rich in beans and legumes are associated with significantly higher diet quality scores and higher intakes of missing nutrients, including nutrients of public health concern.

Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. Legumes grow in pods and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and include beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils. For this study, canned and dried kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans (beans) were included in the composite.

Analyzes using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2018) modeled the inclusion of one and two servings of beans in adults. The results show that greater bean consumption is associated with significant increases in several missing nutrients, including dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and choline.

Effect on diet quality

Additionally, adding 1 and 2 servings of beans per day to the typical US diet significantly improved overall diet quality as assessed by the USDA’s Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015). In fact, HEI-2015 total scores were 15% higher with additional servings of beans and 19% higher with 2 servings of beans than the typical US diet.

This evaluation showed that beans contributed to a significant increase in daily dietary fiber intake in both young and older adults. This is critical since fewer than 1 in 10 U.S. adults meet fiber recommendations to maintain optimal digestive health and prevent chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and some cancers.

Additionally, the majority of U.S. adults fall short of meeting potassium recommendations. According to the American Heart Association, “foods containing potassium may help control blood pressure by blunting the effects of sodium, and the more potassium you eat, the more sodium is processed from the body.”

“This research clearly shows that eating beans and legumes is good, but eating more is better,” says study author Yanni Papanikolaou of Nutritional Strategies Inc. “Beans and legumes are excellent sources of fibre, folate and potassium and excellent sources of plant protein. They also provide iron and zinc, as do other protein foods.”

Beans and legumes are underconsumed in the United States; More than 80% of the population falls below recommendations. Consumption data shows that beans, peas and legumes are consumed in relatively small amounts, averaging 0.1 cup per day.

Research published in April and June 2024 shows that dietary patterns rich in canned and dried pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, and/or chickpeas are associated with significantly higher diet quality scores. The highest diet quality scores are associated with a 24% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease, a 31% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, a 20% reduction in the risk of stroke, a 23% reduction in the risk of diabetes, and a 6% reduction in the risk of cancer.

“This research supports growing evidence that consumption of beans and legumes may have numerous nutritional value and public health benefits,” said Tim McGreevy, CEO of US Pulses. “In fact, legumes are so nutritious that they were recently listed on DietaryGuidelines.gov as among the highest sources of potassium, iron, and fiber—three nutrients of concern in the latest health professional sources.”

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