Researchers measured the participants» body composition, aerobic fitness, and
glycemic control, and
assessed the relationships between pre-intervention variables and intervention - induced changes.
Low
glycemic index (GI) foods have been shown to improve
glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).1, 2 Legumes, also known as pulses (dried beans, chick peas, and lentils), were the first class of foods recognized as having low GI values3 and have been recommended in many national DM guidelines.4 - 6 However, few studies have
assessed the effect of legumes in DM, 7 even fewer have documented the quantity used to improve
glycemic control, and none have reported their effect on cardiovascular risk.8 Not only are legumes good sources of slowly digested starch, but they are also relatively high in fiber and vegetable protein.