Study: Lentils May Help to Prevent Diabetes
The frequent consumption of legumes, specifically lentils, as a part of a Mediterranean diet, may help to prevent type 2 diabetes in older adults with high cardiovascular risk, according to a recent study.
Legumes are thought to have beneficial effects on glycemic control and adiposity, and are widely recommended in diabetic diets. However, there is currently little evidence to support the association between the consumption of legumes and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
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The researchers conducted a prospective assessment that included 3349 participants from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) study who did not have type 2 diabetes at baseline. Using the dietary information collected at baseline and yearly over the median 4.3-year follow-up, researchers estimated hazard ratios (HR) for incidence of diabetes based on quartiles of cumulative average consumption of total legumes, lentils, chickpeas, dry beans, and fresh peas.
A total of 266 new cases of diabetes occurred during the study period.
The researchers found that individuals who consumed the most total legumes and the most lentils had a lower risk of diabetes than those who consumed the least (HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.96; P-trend=0.04; and HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.46-0.98; P-trend=0.05, respectively). In addition, researchers found a borderline significant association between the consumption of chickpeas and reduced risk of diabetes (HR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.46, 1.00; P-trend=0.06).
“Substitutions of half a serving/day of legumes for similar servings of eggs, bread, rice, or baked potato was associated with lower risk of diabetes incidence,” the researchers wrote.
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Becerra-Tomás N, Díaz-López A, Rosique-Esteban N, et al. Legume consumption is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes incidence in adults: a prospective assessment from the PREDIMED study [published online March 23, 2017]. Am J Clin Nutr. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2017.03.015.