The One Ingredient You Should Be Eating Daily For Heart & Gut Health
Key takeaways
- Author: Ava Durgin May 01, 2026Assistant Health Editor By Ava Durgin Assistant Health Editor Ava Durgin is the former Assistant Health Editor at mindbodygreen.
- A new randomized controlled trial found that eating just one cup of black beans or chickpeas a day for 12 weeks led to meaningful improvements in cholesterol and inflammation, two key markers of cardiometabolic health.
- The study followed 72 adults with prediabetes over 12 weeks.
Why this matters: practical guidance grounded in recent research or expert insight.
Author: Ava Durgin May 01, 2026Assistant Health Editor By Ava Durgin Assistant Health Editor Ava Durgin is the former Assistant Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She holds a B.A. in Global Health and Psychology from Duke University.Image by Nadine Greeff / Stocksy May 01, 2026A cup of beans a day might not sound glamorous, but it could be one of the simplest ways to support long-term metabolic and heart health.
A new randomized controlled trial found that eating just one cup of black beans or chickpeas a day for 12 weeks led to meaningful improvements in cholesterol and inflammation, two key markers of cardiometabolic health. The findings suggest that beans could offer a simple, affordable way to lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The study followed 72 adults with prediabetes over 12 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned to eat one cup of either chickpeas, black beans, or white rice daily. Researchers monitored blood sugar, lipid profiles, and inflammation markers at the start, midpoint, and end of the study.