How Can A Daily Cup Of Beans Improve Your Health?

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, June 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Beans aren’t just the musical fruit, they can be pure magic for your health, a new study says.

Eating a daily cup of beans significantly improved the health of a small group of people with prediabetes – a condition in which elevated blood sugar levels have nearly caused type 2 diabetes.

“Our study found that bean consumption helped significantly lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation in people with prediabetes, although glucose levels were not changed,” researcher Morganne Smith, a doctoral candidate at the Illinois Institute of Technology, said in a news release.

This is good news, as people with prediabetes often have high cholesterol and chronic inflammation, both of which increase their risk of other chronic health problems like heart disease, Smith said.

For the study, researchers randomly assigned 72 people to eat black beans, chickpeas or rice for 12 weeks.

Chickpeas caused people’s total cholesterol to significantly decrease, results show.

Likewise, black beans caused a drop in blood markers of inflammation.

“Our study showed the benefits of consuming beans in adults with prediabetes, but they are a great option for everyone,” Smith said. “These findings could be used to inform dietary guidelines, clinicians or public health programs focused on preventing heart disease and diabetes.”

It’s relatively easy to swap beans for less healthy ingredients in many recipes, researchers said. Just be aware if the beans contain any added sugars or salt.

“There are a lot of ways to incorporate beans into your regular diet as a cost-effective way to support overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases,” Smith said. “You can blend them to add some thickness to a soup base, add them as a salad topping, or pair them with other grains like rice or quinoa.”

Researchers next plan to examine how eating beans influences gut health.

Smith presented her findings Tuesday at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando, Fl.

Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on the benefits of beans.

SOURCE: American Society for Nutrition, news release, June 3, 2025

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