Summer BanksThe protein that keeps your arteries young.
August 12th 2008 07:58
From Real Age available free on the Web:
The Protein That Keeps Your Arteries Young
It’s lean, it’s laden with fill-you-up protein, and it helps keep your arteries clear. What is it?
It’s the mighty bean. Yep. Beans have it all -- including the ability to reduce the amount of artery-clogging fat in your blood.
Lower Lipids
In a study, people who ate a half cup of cooked pinto beans every day for 12 weeks experienced a drop in total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Which means beans could do great things for your heart health. Researchers theorize it’s the antioxidants in beans -- called polyphenols -- that may help lower blood lipids.
More Heart Safeguards
One possible caveat: In the recent bean study, HDL (good) cholesterol dropped a bit, too -- something not seen in other bean studies. Follow-up research will be needed to see if it's a fluke or holds true. In the meantime, here are a bunch of other reasons to make beans your best friends:
* They help your pants fit better. Here's how.
* Thanks to all the fiber, they help control this.
* They can help prevent these nasty colon curses.
Beans also make a heart-smart (and budget-friendly) substitute for red meat in soups and stews.
Beans may be a near-perfect health food -- especially if they're red.
We already know that beans are a great source of fiber and vegetable protein. But red kidney beans are also stellar when it comes to packing an antioxidant punch. In fact, red beans are right up there with blueberries when it comes to total antioxidant value. So brighten up your salads and stews by tossing in some crimson-colored beauties.
In addition to red kidney beans, other antioxidant champions include artichokes, russet potatoes, pinto beans, sweet cherries, plums, and pecans. What's so great about antioxidants? They help guard against the cell damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and early aging by swiftly mopping up free radicals -- cell-process by-products that can damage DNA.
Here are the antioxidant winners in a recent study, which examined over 100 different plant-food sources:
* Fruits: Cranberries, blueberries, blackberries
* Vegetables: beans (red, kidney, pinto, and black), artichokes, and russet potatoes
* Nuts: pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts
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But really, I knew they were good for you but had no idea they were that good. I may increase my intake as I'm allergic to both cranberries and tomatoes so it's good to know they pack a high antioxidant punch...I shall just have to be careful where and when I eat them
Interesting stuff Katyzzz.
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