Kidney beans, like red beans, may promote weight loss

Many do not consider beans the best for weight loss. Besides rebuilding the body’s tissues, proteins like beans reduce appetite for food by regulating satiety hormones. In reality, different varieties of beans can slash body weight, fat mass, and waist and hip circumference in overweight and moderately obese people.

In a new study, researchers said that intake of kidney beans, like other beans, could be an adjunctive approach for weight management. Supplementation with white kidney bean extract achieved clinically significant weight loss thresholds of 3 percent and 5 percent of body weight.

Supplementation with white kidney bean extract (WKBE) at daily doses of 3,000 mg or 2,100 mg three times a day during a 12-week calorie-restricted diet was associated with reduced BMI in a dose-dependent manner when compared with the calorie-restricted diet.

The new study, published in Science Reports, contributes to the growing body of evidence highlighting the use of white kidney bean extract supplementation as an adjunctive approach for weight management.

The researchers recruited 81 people who were all either overweight or moderately obese to participate in their trial. They were assigned to a calorie-restricted diet and randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or one of two doses (1,000 mg or 700 mg) of the proprietary extract of the white kidney bean.

The participants took the supplements three times a day, 30 minutes before their main meals, meaning the daily dose was either 3,000 mg or 2,100 mg.

Results showed that body weight was reduced by an average of 4.48 kg in the high-dose group and 3.18 kg in the low-dose group, compared to 0.54 kg in the placebo group.

For body mass index (BMI), the high-dose white kidney bean extract group experienced a 1.56 kg/m2 reduction, compared to 0.21 kg/m2 in the placebo group.

The high-dose group also experienced significant reductions in fat free mass after 12 weeks (1.42 kg reduction), compared to a slight increase in the placebo group (0.12 kg increase).

The researchers stated that the modest three percent weight loss achieved in the high-dose group after only four weeks is linked to improved metabolic parameters such as blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipid profiles. Even greater benefits are linked to a five percent weight loss, they added.

The conclusion was that “white kidney bean extract supplementation may offer a promising approach to aid in weight management and improve overall health outcomes in overweight individuals. However, further research is needed to explore the long-term effects and sustainability of these weight loss outcomes.”

According to 2020 research published in the “Journal of the American College of Nutrition,” those who consume red beans are more likely to have a smaller waist and lower body weight and are less likely to be obese.

In a 2011 study, which was released in the “European Journal of Nutrition” in February, it was discovered that people who consumed four servings of red beans per week as part of a low-calorie diet lost more weight and saw greater improvements in inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels than those who followed a low-calorie diet without beans.

Beyond kidney beans offering plenty of fibre, which can help promote better gastrointestinal health, it also supplies prebiotic fibre. This type of fibre is indigestible by humans and therefore acts as fuel for the beneficial bacteria in our gut, ultimately supporting a healthy microbiota.

Fortunately, legumes and beans, such as kidney beans, are naturally packed with antioxidants, which can help support health in various ways. Its red hue comes from anthocyanins, a group of antioxidants known for helping lower the risk of several chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, while also promoting good overall health.

Manganese in kidney beans also aids the body’s antioxidant defences to make sure that the harmful free radicals in the body are properly and efficiently destroyed.

A high quantity of magnesium in kidney beans acts on the cholesterol and helps the body fight diseases associated with the heart like stroke, vascular diseases, coagulation of the arteries, heart attack, etc. and maintain a strong heart.

In reality, research shows that colon cancer may develop less often in people who regularly eat common beans, such as kidney beans. The non-digestible fibre in common beans plays a positive role in regulating cell growth in the colon, which may help reduce the risk of developing colon cancer.

Many people struggling with diabetes require low-glycemic index food to prevent spikes in blood sugar after their meal. Beans are a low-glycemic index food; they can also help moderate the effects of foods that do cause spikes in blood sugar.

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