GradedHealth

Beans, lentils and chickpeas: can eating legumes protect your heart?

Yes, modestly: people who eat more legumes have about 10% lower risk of heart disease, and a daily serving lowers LDL cholesterol slightly in trials.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Yes, modestly: higher legume intake is linked to about 10% lower coronary heart disease risk, with the benefit levelling off near 400 g a week, and about a serving a day lowers LDL slightly. Not linked to stroke. Evidence grade B (Moderate). Large consistent prospective cohorts for heart disease plus a meta-analysis of randomised trials for LDL; downgraded once because the heart evidence is observational and the trial effects are small.

Key takeaways

  • Across 14 cohort studies (367,000 people), the highest legume intake was linked to 10% lower risk of coronary heart disease [1].
  • A 2023 dose-response analysis found the benefit rose up to about 400 g of legumes a week and then levelled off [2].
  • Legumes were not linked to stroke overall (RR 1.00), though one analysis found 9% fewer stroke deaths [2][3].
  • In 26 trials, about a serving a day (130 g) lowered LDL cholesterol by 0.17 mmol/L, and in 8 trials lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.25 mmHg [4][5].
  • Cook kidney beans fully: undercooked ones caused an outbreak of illness in about 200 people [6].

The short version

Yes, modestly: people who eat more legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas) have about 10% lower risk of coronary heart disease in large cohort studies, and about a serving a day lowers LDL cholesterol slightly in trials [1][2][4]. Cohort studies can only show a link, not cause and effect, and legumes were not linked to fewer strokes overall [1][2].

What the studies show

Heart disease in people who eat more legumes. A 2017 meta-analysis of 14 studies (367,000 people) found the highest legume intake was linked to a 10% lower risk of both cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease (relative risk 0.90, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.97) [1]. A 2023 meta-analysis of 26 observational studies reported the same pattern for coronary heart disease (RR 0.90, 0.85 to 0.96) and cardiovascular disease overall (0.94, 0.89 to 0.99), with the benefit rising up to about 400 g a week and then levelling off [2].

Stroke. The stroke result was null in both analyses (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.08 in the 2023 one) [2][1]. A 2023 analysis of 32 cohorts did find 9% fewer stroke deaths with higher legume intake (HR 0.91, 0.84 to 0.99), and 6% lower all-cause mortality per 50 g a day [3].

Cholesterol. In 26 randomized trials (1,037 people), diets with about one serving of pulses a day (median 130 g) lowered LDL cholesterol by 0.17 mmol/L (95% CI 0.09 to 0.25) compared with similar diets without pulses; apolipoprotein B and non-HDL cholesterol did not change [4].

Blood pressure and blood sugar. In 8 feeding trials (554 people), pulses lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.25 mmHg (95% CI 0.28 to 4.22) but the diastolic change was not significant [5]. A review of 41 trials found pulses improved markers of longer-term blood sugar control, though results varied widely between trials [7].

Weight. In 21 trials (940 people), diets with about a serving of pulses a day led to 0.34 kg more weight loss over a median of 6 weeks [8].

The nuances

Observational, not proof. In cohort studies, people who eat legumes may also eat healthier overall, or may be swapping them for less healthy protein [1].

Type 2 diabetes. A meta-analysis of 15 cohorts found total legume intake was not linked to type 2 diabetes risk (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.14), with high variation between studies [9].

Gas. In three feeding studies, fewer than half of people reported more flatulence from pinto or baked beans in the first week, and 3% to 11% reported it even on control diets [10].

Cook them properly. Undercooked red kidney beans contain a lectin, phytohaemagglutinin, that caused illness in about 200 people at a French military base in 2018 [6].

Fava beans. Fava beans can trigger a serious red-blood-cell breakdown in people with G6PD deficiency, a condition called favism [11].

What this means for you

Cohort data suggest around 400 g of legumes a week is where the heart benefit levels off, and trials suggest about a serving a day has small effects on LDL cholesterol and blood pressure [2][4][5]. Cook dried kidney beans fully, and ask a doctor if you have G6PD deficiency before eating fava beans [6][11]. For more, see Legumes.

Go deeper

  • Legumes (Beans, Lentils and Chickpeas) — People who eat more legumes have about 10% lower risk of coronary heart disease in large cohort studies, and about a serving a day lowers LDL cholesterol and b…

References

  1. Legume consumption and CVD risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Public Health Nutr, 2017.
  2. Intake of legumes and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2023.
  3. Legume Consumption and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.. Adv Nutr, 2023.
  4. Effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. CMAJ, 2014.
  5. Effect of dietary pulses on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials.. Am J Hypertens, 2014.
  6. From Foodborne Disease Outbreak (FBDO) to Investigation: The Plant Toxin Trap, Brittany, France, 2018.. Toxins (Basel), 2023.
  7. Effect of non-oil-seed pulses on glycaemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled experimental trials in people with and without diabetes.. Diabetologia, 2009.
  8. Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. Am J Clin Nutr, 2016.
  9. Legume and soy intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.. Am J Clin Nutr, 2020.
  10. Perceptions of flatulence from bean consumption among adults in 3 feeding studies.. Nutr J, 2011.
  11. Favism: Clinical Features at Different Ages.. Nutrients, 2023.