Beans show promise with diabetes: Study

(REUTERS) - Eating a cup of beans or lentils every day may help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar and possibly reduce their risk of heart attacks and stroke, according to a Canadian study.

Researchers, whose results appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that compared with a diet rich in whole grains, getting a daily dose of legumes led to small drops in an important measure of blood sugar as well as in blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

After three months on the bean diet, study participants' estimated 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease had fallen from 10.7 per cent to 9.6 per cent, according to the group.

"Legumes are good protein sources, and proteins tend to dampen the blood glucose response and they lower blood pressure," said Mr David Jenkins of St Michael's Hospital in Toronto, who led the study.