Eating more beans leads to weight loss and better nutrition

Improve your nutrition and diet quality with beans! A new study shows that adults who consume more beans benefit from better weight gain, lower sugar intake and increased intake of essential nutrients.

To work: Adult dietary patterns with increased bean consumption are associated with greater deficiencies in overall nutrient intake, lower added sugars, improved weight-related outcomes, and better diet quality. Image Credit: nadianb / Shutterstock.com

In a recently published study Nutrition JournalResearchers compare differences in diet quality and nutrient intake between American adults who consume beans and adults who do not. Adults who consumed beans were found to have better diet quality and consumed more essential nutrients, including ‘missing’ nutrients that are often under-consumed; Thus, the importance of bean consumption for a healthier diet was emphasized.

What are the health benefits of beans?

Environmental sustainability and optimal nutrition are two important global issues for policymakers and experts interested in improving access to adequate nutrition while limiting the carbon footprint of food.

Legumes, including beans, have a low impact on climate, increase soil fertility, remove carbon from the atmosphere, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They are also nutrient-dense; A 100-gram serving is considered a rich source of carbohydrates, protein, calcium, folic acid, potassium and dietary fiber, but is not high in sodium or sugar.

Bean consumption has been associated with higher nutrient intake, better weight and blood pressure outcomes, and lower risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cholesterol. Dietary guidelines currently recommend increasing legume consumption; but fewer than one in five Americans follow these recommendations.

About the study

The researchers used data from a nationally representative survey of the health and nutrition of noninstitutionalized and independent living people in the United States. Dietary information was collected using 24-hour recall questionnaires, while nutritional composition was determined from an established food and nutritional database.

Five different consumption patterns were identified, including one that did not contain beans and four that did not contain beans. Bean consumption included kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans, while soybeans were excluded.

After excluding baby food, 14 food groups were identified. Based on the distribution of calories across food categories, study participants were assigned to one of five consumption patterns.

Statistical models were used to compare people who consumed beans with those who did not, after controlling for characteristics such as energy intake, household income, ethnicity, gender and age.

Study findings

The first group reported the highest bean consumption; beans accounted for 13.5% of their daily calories. The first and second groups also noted that the highest contribution came from vegetables. The third group reported the lowest calorie contribution from beans with 9.3% and the highest calorie contribution from mixed dishes, while the fourth group reported the highest contribution from desserts and snacks.

Three of the four bean-consuming groups had higher energy intake than the non-bean-consuming group. Sodium, choline, vitamin E, iron, folate, magnesium, potassium and dietary fiber were also higher among bean consumers. The first group reported lower saturated and total fat consumption than the bean-free groups.

All bean patterns had higher diet quality scores than the bean-free group. The first and second groups reported higher consumption of plant protein, seafood, vegetables and fruit, while the first, second and fourth groups consumed more healthy fats than the non-bean group. Besides the fourth group reporting the highest consumption of desserts and snacks, bean consumers had lower intakes of added sugars.

The body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body weight values ​​of adults in the first and second groups were significantly lower. However, similar patterns were not observed in the third and fourth groups.

Results

Bean consumers in the current study were found to consume higher levels of essential nutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium, iron, folate and choline, as well as calcium, potassium and dietary fiber. Study participants who ate beans also consumed more plant protein, seafood, beans, greens and vegetables, contributing to better overall diet quality.

Although individuals who consume beans have higher levels of sodium intake, which may be detrimental to blood pressure, this effect may be offset by increased potassium intake. Sodium in canned beans can also be eliminated by draining the liquid and rinsing the beans before consumption.

Following a healthier diet has been associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For example, the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in legumes, has been shown to reduce overall death rates from coronary heart disease and cancer.

Notable limitations of the current study include the reliance on self-reported data from dietary recall, which could lead to inaccurate reporting and memory errors. The nature of the study also makes it difficult to infer causality.

However, study findings suggest that encouraging bean consumption may provide significant health benefits by addressing nutrient deficiencies.