New Mediterranean study Legumes can prevent diabetes

Eating Legumes Regularly: Can Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?
Those who regularly eat legumes can obviously lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. At least that is what the results of a Spanish study carried out in the context of the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (Mediterranean Food Prevention) study suggest.

The scientists from the University of Rovira i Virgili had accompanied more than 3,300 subjects, ages 55 and up, with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Once a year, the participants provided information on their dietary habits, focusing on legumes, chickpeas, dried beans and fresh peas. In addition, the physicians soberly took blood samples to determine the blood sugar level. Over the course of four years, 266 cases of type 2 diabetes have been diagnosed. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the blood sugar level is permanently increased. In type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond adequately to the hormone insulin.

Legumes Prevent Diabetes Suffering. (Image: kriangphoto31 / fotolia.com)

Those who consumed 29 g of pulses daily (or three servings per week) had a 35% lower type 2 diabetes risk than people with a low consumption of 13 g per day (or at most 1.5 servings per week ). This correlation was independent of the body mass index (BMI), according to the journal "Clinical Nutrition". In particular, lenses seem to have a positive effect. Once a week, the risk was 33 percent less than eating less than half a serving a week.

The scientists recommend eating legumes regularly as part of a Mediterranean diet. Those who daily replace half a serving of protein and carbohydrate-rich foods such as eggs, bread, rice and potatoes with pulses could also prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. However, the relationships between diet, certain food groups and metabolic disorders such as diabetes are complex. This makes it difficult to prove secure relationships of individual factors.

A possible explanation would be that legumes have a low glycemic index. This means that the blood sugar level rises more slowly after eating. In addition, legumes are rich in fiber, B vitamins and valuable minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. In 2016, the United Nations declared the International Year of Legumes to highlight the nutritional benefits of this food group. Heike Kreutz, bzfe