Benefits of pulse consumption on metabolism and health: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Pulses are nutrient-dense foods that have for a long time been empirically known to have beneficial effects in human health. In the last decade, several studies have gathered evidence of the metabolic benefits of pulse intake. However, it remains unclear at what amounts these effects may be attained. This study aimed to systematically review the scientific outputs of the last two decades regarding health benefits of pulse consumption and the amounts necessary for positive outcomes to be achieved. A PubMed search including keywords [(dietary pulses, pulses, legumes, grain legumes, bean, chickpea, pea, lentil, cowpea, faba bean, lupin) and (inflammation, inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein, blood lipids, cholesterol, cardiometabolic health, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, glycaemia, insulin, HOMA-IR, body weight, body fat, obesity, overweight, metabolome, metabolic profile, metabolomics, biomarkers, microbiome, microbiota, gut)] was performed. Only English written papers referring to human dietary interventions, longer than one day, focusing on whole pulses intake, were included. Most of the twenty eligible publications reported improvements in blood lipid profile, blood pressure, inflammation biomarkers, as well as, in body composition, resulting from pulse daily amounts of 150 g (minimum-maximum: 54-360 g/day; cooked). Concerns regarding methodological approaches are evident and the biochemical mechanisms underlying such effects require further investigation.

Automated summary

Pulses are nutrient-dense foods with beneficial effects on human health. Recent studies suggest that daily intake of 150 grams of pulses can lead to improvements in blood lipid profile, blood pressure, inflammation biomarkers, and body composition, but further investigation is needed to understand the biochemical mechanisms behind these effects.