2016 was declared the International Year of Pulses to give value to its various health benefits. Now, research shows that a high consumption of legumes – which are a subgroup of vegetables – such as peas, soybeans, chickpeas or lentils significantly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes disease.
The researchers, from the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona (Spain), together with other researchers from the Prevention with Mediterranean Diet ( PREDIMED ) study, set out to investigate the consumption of vegetables associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. in people with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study involved 3,349 volunteers from the PREDIMED study who had not developed type 2 diabetes at the start of the study. Data on the participants’ diets were examined each year with a mean follow-up of 4.3 years.
A low vegetable intake was established at approximately 1.5 weekly servings of 60 grams of raw vegetables, or 12.73 grams per day.
A high intake of vegetables was established as 28.75 grams per day of vegetables, or the equivalent of 3.35 servings per week.
Using Cox regression models, the experts analyzed the impact of type 2 diabetes on the participants. During the follow-up period, the team added 266 new cases of type 2 diabetes.
The study revealed that people with a higher intake of vegetables were 35% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes , compared to participants who had eaten fewer vegetables. Of all the vegetables studied, lentils had the strongest association with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
In fact, the volunteers who ate the most lentils were 33% less likely to develop diabetes compared to the participants who ate less than half a serving per week.
“A frequent consumption of legumes, of lentils in particular, in the context of a Mediterranean diet, may provide benefits in the prevention of type 2 diabetes in older adults with high cardiovascular risk,” the authors explain.
The study has been published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.
