Scientists have long established the connection between heart disease and diabetes. Studies have shown that people with diabetes have a higher chance of developing heart disease because of high blood sugar levels.

Having persistently high blood sugar eventually damages the nerves and blood vessels, both of which are connected to the heart. Injured blood vessels can lead to hypertension, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

According to studies, hypertension and insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, are positively associated. If you suffer from a combination of diabetes and hypertension, your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases will surely double.

But not all hope is lost, say researchers. Specifically, researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada reported a natural remedy that can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease even if you’re diabetic. And believe it or not, this remedy involves eating a group of humble seeds that belong to the legume family: pulses.

What are pulses?

The term “pulses” refers to the seeds of legume plants (e.g., adzuki beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils) that are used as dry grains. These seeds grow in pods and come in different shapes, sizes and colors. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are 11 different types of pulses:

• Dry beans
• Dry broad beans
• Dry peas
• Chickpeas
• Cowpeas
• Pigeon peas
• Lentils
• Bambara beans
• Vetches
• Lupins
• Pulses NES (short for “Not Elsewhere Specified” – minor pulses that don’t fall into the other categories)

Today, hundreds of varieties of pulses are grown around the world. These annual crops can be farmed sustainably and are environmentally friendly. As foods, pulses are rich in essential nutrients and are easy to cook with.

Pulses and nutritional facts

Pulses have a lot going for them. Besides being low-fat sources of protein and dietary fiber, pulses also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals. Here’s a list of essential nutrients you can get from pulses:

• Folate
• Iron
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Zinc
• Iron
• Magnesium

Pulses contain some of the highest levels of protein you can find in plant-based sources. In fact, beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas contain two to three times the amount of protein found in cereal grains, such as barley, corn, oats, quinoa, rice and wheat.

Pulses are also great sources of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber and resistant starch. Soluble fiber can help you lose weight, as well as lower you blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Insoluble fiber can support healthy digestion and bowel regularity. Resistant starch, meanwhile, resists digestion in the small intestine and serves as food for good bacteria in the colon.

Pulses and their culinary uses

Nutritious, delicious and easy to prepare, pulses can be used as vegetables or as meat substitutes. They can also be added to drinks, smoothies and desserts or turned into flour for breads and other baked goods.

Pulses have a long history of use as culinary ingredients. In fact, they are staples of different cuisines around the world, including European, Mediterranean, Indian, Latin American, Middle Eastern and North American cuisine.

Today, pulses are used by people to make their dishes healthier. For instance, replacing half the meat in your casseroles or meatballs with lentils is a great way to boost your protein and fiber intake.

Besides being affordable, pulses are also low in sodium and fat, so you can be sure that any meal containing these nutritious seeds would be less fattening and more fulfilling.

How to use pulses in the kitchen

While pulses have an abundance of some essential nutrients, they also naturally contain phytate or phytic acid. The principal storage form of phosphorus in plants, phytate is a well-known anti-nutrient. This means that this compound can reduce your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food.

To circumvent this, make sure you soak pulses in water or a sodium bicarbonate solution at least eight hours before cooking them. This will decrease their phytate content considerably and ensure that they won’t cause flatulence. Soaking pulses also guarantees that you can digest them easily and absorb their nutrient content.

Another good thing about soaking pulses is that it “brings them back to life” — that is, it activates certain enzymes that can break down phytate and also softens them, so they’ll take less time to cook.

Pulses and their health benefits

Pulses may not be a typical part of the American or Western diet, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be. Pulses are grown in 173 countries around the world, including the U.S., so you can easily find several varieties in your local grocery.

Here’s what to expect when you eat pulses as part of your daily diet: (h/t to LiveStrong.com)

• Pulses can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing your blood cholesterol levels.
• As superfoods with low glycemic indices, pulses can help prevent diabetes and improve your blood sugar control.
• Bring high in protein and fiber, pulses can help you manage your weight. Protein and fiber can keep you feeling full for longer, which can help reduce your food intake.
• A rich source of folate (vitamin B9), pulses can help you produce and maintain new cells. Black-eyed peas are great sources of folate, providing 105 mcg per one-half-cup serving.

Pulses offer better heart health for diabetics

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are both life-threatening diseases that have become fairly common in today’s society. These are two of the biggest killers worldwide, according to statistics, and cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally.

According to the latest studies, strategies that help prevent or reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease are crucial for disease management. One of the most extensively studied strategies at the moment is diet changes, and Canadian researchers have identified its main component: pulses.

In a recent study, they looked at the effect of eating pulses on the cardiovascular disease risk of healthy adults and adults with diabetes. They chose pulses because of these edible seeds are rich in heart-healthy fiber and have low glycemic indices, which meant that they do not cause blood sugar spikes.

The researchers said that in both observational and experimental studies, the consumption of pulses improved the blood lipid profiles, blood sugar control and blood pressure of healthy and diabetic adults. Blood cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure are three major but modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

According to the researchers, the benefits conferred by pulses can be attributed to their abundance of nutrients and active plant components.

The researchers concluded their report by saying that eating pulses is a promising dietary strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease in both healthy people and those suffering from diabetes.

Sources:

NIDDK.NIH.gov

Heart.org

Pulses.org 1

Pulses.org 2

HopkinsDiabetesInfo.org

USAPulses.org

ScienceDirect.com

FAO.org ^[PDF]

LiveStrong.com

OurWorldInData.org

Journals.SagePub.com