Adding beans and pulses can lead to improved micronutrient intake and higher diet quality in American adults

New research showing the relationship between increased bean and pulse consumption and improved micronutrient intake and higher diet quality in American adults will be presented during the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ (the Academy) 2024 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Minneapolis. , MN. The poster session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2024, from 10:45-11:45 AM CT at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The study is published in the Nutrition Journal.

Researchers assessed the effect of increased consumption of beans and pulses—in the typical US dietary pattern—on scarce nutrient intake and diet quality outcomes. According to the findings, dietary patterns rich in beans and pulses are associated with significantly higher diet quality scores and greater intakes of scarce nutrients, including nutrients of public health concern.

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

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018, the analyzes modeled one serving and two servings of beans in adults. Results show that consuming more beans is associated with significant increases in several deficient nutrients, including dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and choline.

Effect on diet quality

Additionally, adding 1 to 2 servings of beans to the usual dietary pattern per day significantly increased overall diet quality, as assessed by the USDA Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015). In fact, HEI-2015 total scores were 15% higher with an additional serving of beans and 19% higher with 2 servings of beans, relative to the typical US dietary pattern.

Among both younger and older adults, this evaluation showed that beans significantly increased the daily intake of dietary fiber. This is critical since less than 1 in 10 US adults meet fiber recommendations to maintain optimal digestive health and prevent chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and certain cancers .

In addition, most adults in the US are not meeting potassium recommendations. According to the American Heart Association, “foods with potassium can help control blood pressure by moderating the effects of sodium and the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you process out of the body.”

“This research clearly shows that eating beans and pulses is good, but it is better to eat more,” says study author Yanni Papanikolaou, of Nutritional Strategies Inc. which also provide iron and zinc like other protein foods.”

Beans and pulses remain under-consumed in the United States, with more than 80% of the population below the recommendations. Consumption data show that beans, peas, and legumes are consumed in relatively small amounts, at an average of 0.1 cup per day.

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

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

Available at The Ginger Network