As bird flu looms, mad cow disease continues to hang in the air and people look for increasingly healthful ways to eat, beans have suddenly achieved "superfood" status. Scientists affirm that beans are packed with nutrients that fight chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, while helping to control your blood sugar. And, as part of a healthful diet, beans make it easier for you to maintain a healthful weight, which also cuts your risk of chronic disease.

SPILLING THE BEANS ON BEANS

Beans are a member of the legume family, which also includes soybeans, lentils, peas and peanuts. (For purposes of this article, we'll talk about those legumes Americans think of when they hear the word "beans" -- such as pinto, red, pink, navy and black beans, cannelini and red kidney, chickpeas, black-eyed peas and green peas.)

Beans are a good source of low-fat protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. But perhaps the best reason to eat beans is the fiber, says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University in Boston. Most Americans fall short of the recommended 20 g to 30 g of fiber a day (some health experts call for even more). A half-cup serving of legumes contains about 120 calories and anywhere from 4 g to 6 g of fiber -- including about 2 g of soluble fiber, which can reduce your cholesterol and help lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Besides filling you up, making weight control easier, the fiber in beans also...

• Slows the absorption of blood sugar from the small intestine, helping some people with pre-diabetes, diabetes or hypoglycemia.
• Makes stools softer, bulkier and easier to pass, relieving constipation and decreasing your exposure to carcinogens that may be in the stool.
• Lowers your risk of hemorrhoids (swollen anal tissues), diverticulosis (microscopic pouches that protrude through weak spots in the lining of the colon) and irritable bowel syndrome (muscle spasms in the wall of the colon).
• Manages bile acids and bacterial enzymes that in excess may promote the growth of precancerous polyps (tissue growths that protrude from a membrane such as the intestinal lining) and colon cancer.
• Binds with certain estrogen metabolites, possibly reducing your risk for estrogen-responsive cancers such as those of the breast and prostate.

Getting your fiber from beans and other plant foods provides all the other disease-fighting nutrients you don't get in a fiber supplement, says Dr. Lichtenstein, who's also director and senior scientist with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

GOOD, BETTER, BEST BEANS?

When USDA researchers analyzed antioxidant levels in more than 100 different foods, small red beans topped the list, beating even the exalted wild blueberry. Red kidney beans and pinto beans also made the top four, while black beans came in among the top 20.

But Dr. Lichtenstein says you shouldn't select beans based on antioxidant content, because scientists are only just beginning to identify the health-promoting compounds in plant foods and don't fully understand how they work most effectively. "The benefits of using beans to replace foods high in saturated fat outweigh minor differences among beans," Dr. Lichtenstein says.

LABEL CLAIMS

Although beans bear no FDA-approved labels advertising their health benefits, research shows they significantly influence America's most lethal chronic diseases. By lowering your cholesterol, helping you control your weight and lowering blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, beans can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. And, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, phytochemicals in beans can protect cells from DNA damage, which can lead to cancer... may inhibit the reproduction of cancer cells... may potentially slow the division of cancer cells and the growth of tumors and inhibit tumors from destroying nearby cells.

JUMPING IN THE BEANPOT

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid recommends three cups of beans per week -- that equals six one-half cup servings -- for Americans eating about 2,000 calories a day. When adding beans to your diet, Dr. Lichtenstein makes these recommendations...

• Don't select beans based on their fiber, protein or antioxidant content. Instead, eat a variety of beans in a variety of bean dishes such as burritos, soups, casseroles and dips or spreads like hummus (made from ground chickpeas) to keep your diet interesting. Like with fruits and vegetables, the more variety of your beans the better.
• Enjoy canned beans, especially if that enables you to consume them more often. There's little nutritional difference between canned beans and dried beans you have to cook yourself -- just rinse beans or buy low-sodium versions if that's a concern, says Dr. Lichtenstein. Enjoy bean soups, too -- pureed beans still provide nutrients.
• Simply adding beans to your diet can result in unwanted pounds that hurt your health. Instead, substitute them for less-healthy foods, such as meats high in saturated fats.

And, oh by the way, if all of the nutritional and health benefits of beans are not enough of an inspiration, it's useful to know that one serving of beans costs a small fraction of the average serving of meat, fish or poultry. A nutritional powerhouse at a low price. That's a bargain.

Be well,

Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News

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