​Increase in the frequency of consumption of legumes may help to fend off coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular ailments.
This study assessed the correlation between pre-illness intake of legumes and the risk of subsequent development of coronary heart disease. Researchers from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine followed 9,623 cardiovascular disease-free men and women recruited from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study (NHEFS) and compared legume consumption rates with incidence of coronary heart disease.
The team of investigators observed that high dietary intake of legumes correlated with low coronary heart disease risk. Cardiovascular ailment and coronary heart disease risk was 11% and 22% lower in subjects who consumed legumes 4 times or more per week than in persons who ate legumes once per week, according to this study. This research work strengthens the body of evidence supporting the protective effect of legumes against cardiovascular disease.