Love your lentils
A new study suggests that eating pulses (beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, etc.) on a regular basis can prevent metabolic syndrome – characterised by being overweight or obese with the accumulation of fat mainly around the waist, raised blood pressure and increased fat and sugar levels in the blood (considered to be pre-diabetic). In the study, people who consumed the most pulses (around 2.5 portions per week) had lower blood pressure, blood sugar levels and a better ratio of bad v good fats in the blood than those people who consumed less. Researchers calculated that these people had 75 per cent lower risk of developing the metabolic syndrome.
Hosseinpour-Niazi, S., Mirmiran, P., Amiri, Z., Hosseini-Esfahani, F., Shakeri, N., Azizi, F., 2012. Legume intake is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome in adults. Archives of Iranian Medicine. 15 (9) 538-544.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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