If you are looking for new ways to support your weight loss journey, you may want to consider incorporating legumes into your diet. That's because a 12-week clinical trial has found that consuming legumes can lead to weight reduction.
Legumes, also known as pulses, are a type of food that includes beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas. They are known for their high protein and fiber content and have been linked to numerous health benefits, including weight loss. However, strong clinical trials advocating the beneficial effects of legumes in weight loss are limited.
To rectify this, a clinical trial investigated the relationship between consuming legumes and weight loss and found that the hormone adiponectin and the biomarker 8-epi-PGF2α may be key factors in this relationship.
The clinical study was a 12-week-long clinical trial. It involved 400 overweight participants with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. They were randomly assigned to either a legume group or a control group. The legume group was instructed to replace one-third of their rice consumption with legumes three times per day as a carbohydrate source while the control group was instructed to maintain their usual diet. The primary outcome measure was weight loss at 2 weeks.
The results of the clinical trial showed that the legume group lost significantly more weight than the control group, with an average weight loss of 2.87 kg compared to 0.17 kg in the control group. This is an important finding, as even a modest amount of weight loss can have significant health benefits.
Additionally, the clinical study demonstrated that the levels of good cholesterol increased while the levels of glucose, insulin, and insulin-resistance decreased in the group that consumed legumes.
But what is it about legumes that makes them so effective for weight loss? The researchers looked at two biomarkers that may play a role: adiponectin and 8-epi-PGF2α.