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Greater pulse consumption in adults is associated with improved diet quality, favorable weight-related outcomes and ... - EurekAlert

Moscow, Idaho, June 25, 2024:   New research showing the association of greater pulse consumption with significant health related outcomes will be presented during Nutrition 2024, The American Society for Nutrition’s (ASN) annual conference in Chicago, IL. The poster session is scheduled for Monday, July 1, 2024, from 11:45 – 12:45CT at McCormick Place, Poster Board 322.  ASN is a leader in keeping nutrition professionals up to date on the latest science and trends, and they embrace new technologies to broaden knowledge in innovative ways. It provides high caliber, engaging educational programs to support continuing education for nutrition professionals and healthcare providers.   Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018, researchers aimed to identify commonly consumed pulse dietary patterns in American adults and assess cardiovascular-related health outcomes and diet quality relative to adults whose typical dietary pattern avoids pulses. Results showed that greater consumption of pulses was associated with significant improvements in cardiovascular-related health outcomes relative to the no pulse dietary pattern. A dietary pattern comprised of 11% of total daily energy from pulses was associated with reduced risk for elevated blood pressure, elevated systolic blood pressure, and elevated diastolic blood pressure relative to the no pulse dietary pattern. Further, adults consuming a pulse dietary pattern had a 50% and 56% reduced risk of an elevated waist circumference and of being obese, respectively.  Subjects consuming a pulse dietary pattern also had significantly reduced body weights and waist circumferences in comparison to subjects avoiding pulses.   “We know that the majority of adults are not meeting established recommendations for pulses,” states author Yanni Papanikolaou, of Nutritional Strategies Inc.  “All it takes is adding one or two servings of pulses to help close nutrient gaps and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Based on these findings and other emerging research, future dietary guidance should better reflect the health benefits associated with increased pulse consumption in dietary patterns.” The study was funded by the Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses and Cannedbeans.org.   Those who eat beans and/or chickpeas have significantly higher intakes of several shortfall nutrients compared to those who don’t eat pulses.ii  Pulse eaters also have higher intakes of fiber, calcium, and potassium, termed nutrients of public health concernii because low intakes of these nutrients are tied to common health problems in the U.S. population. Low intakes of potassium are linked to high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and poor bone health.[i]  Low intakes of calcium are thought to play a role in bone health in older adults, cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), weight management, and metabolic syndrome.[ii] Fiber is woefully under consumed in the U.S. diet and diets high in fiber are linked to gut health, lower cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, healthy body weight, and longevity.[iii]   Previous research has shown that dietary patterns that are higher in pulses, fruit and vegetable consumption were significantly associated with lower BMI, decreased body weight, and improved waist circumference relative to those without pulses.[iv] Further, a naturally rich source of dietary fiber, beans and chickpeas help promote health and support weight management.[v] In addition, the protein helps aid satiety, and maintain muscle mass.iv   “This research underscores that consumption of pulses may prove to have numerous nutrient and public health benefits,” said Tim McGreevy, CEO, of USA Pulses.  “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020 – 2025 and the USDA’s Choose My Plate indicate that beans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils can be considered as part of the vegetable or protein groups.”       ####   ABOUT THE COALITION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PULSES The Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses (CAP) is an initiative led by the American Pulse Association (APA) with support from the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC), the U.S. Dry Bean Council (USDBC), and the Pulse Foundation. The CAP coalition represents a collective of pulse crop growers, processors, manufacturers, and related organizations. CAP is committed to increasing the consumption of pulses in the United States by increasing research on the nutritional benefits of pulses and growing awareness about the many health benefits of pulse crops.  For more information visit usapulses.org or contact CAP@usapulses.org   ABOUT CANNEDBEANS.ORG Cannedbeans.org, sponsored by Bush’s Best®, is a category-building marketing campaign aimed at promoting the universal health benefits of canned beans regardless of brand. Containing fiber, protein and iron, canned beans make it easy to add more plants to your diet and help people live longer, healthier lives. For more information, check out the latest tools, recipes, and resources below to learn more about the benefits of canned beans at www.cannedbeans.org. [1] Potassium: A Health Professionals Fact Sheet available from Office of Dietary Supplements at https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/) [1] Calcium: A Health Professionals Fact Sheet available from Office of Dietary Supplements at https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/ [1] Dietary Fiber. Mayo Health available at https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983?p=1 [1] Bonjour JP. The dietary protein, IGF-I, skeletal health axis. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig. 2016 Oct 1;28(1):39-53. doi: 10.1515/hmbci-2016-0003. PMID: 26985688 [1] Shana J Kim, Russell J de Souza, Vivian L Choo, Vanessa Ha, et al. Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2016 DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.115.124677.       [i] Potassium: A Health Professionals Fact Sheet available from Office of Dietary Supplements at https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/) [ii] Calcium: A Health Professionals Fact Sheet available from Office of Dietary Supplements at https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/ [iii] Dietary Fiber. Mayo Health available at https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983?p=1 [iv] Bonjour JP. The dietary protein, IGF-I, skeletal health axis. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig. 2016 Oct 1;28(1):39-53. doi: 10.1515/hmbci-2016-0003. PMID: 26985688 [v] Shana J Kim, Russell J de Souza, Vivian L Choo, Vanessa Ha, et al. Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2016 DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.115.124677.    

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