In a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction was investigated.
The study identified 26 random Control Trials that satisfied the inclusion criteria.
The research involved 1,037 people who had either normal or high cholesterol levels.
“Dietary non–oil-seed pulses (beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas) are foods that have received particular attention for their ability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” noted the study.
It added: “Consumption of dietary pulses was associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease in a large observational study and with improvements in LDL cholesterol levels in small trials.