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. Find out which kind of beans pack the best antioxidant punch.

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. Learn how to prep beans in a snap with this video on soaking beans.

Pinto bean consumption changes SCFA profiles in fecal fermentations, bacterial populations of the lower bowel, and lipid profiles in blood of humans. Finley, J. W. et al., Journal of Nutrition 2007 Nov;137(11):2391-2398.