Beans Linked to Lower Heart Risk in Men, Broccoli in Women, Study Finds

Researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) analyzed data from 638 participants, all around 22 years old, in Western Australia's long-running Raine Study. They compared consumption of five vegetable groups against early warning signs for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, including blood pressure, waist circumference, blood glucose, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.

After adjusting for factors including income, education, physical activity and diet, one vegetable group stood out for each sex. For men, every additional 75-gram daily serving of legumes was associated with 72.2% lower odds of falling into a higher-risk group. For women, an additional 75-gram daily serving of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower was associated with 84.9% lower odds. Seventy-five grams is roughly a half-cup of cooked legumes or vegetables.

Senior author Associate Professor Therese O'Sullivan cautioned that the finding should be treated as "hypothesis-generating rather than definitive evidence." The sample size is relatively modest, and because the study is cross-sectional — diet and health were measured at the same point in time — it cannot establish that eating more of either vegetable group actually reduces future disease risk.

Legumes are rich in fiber, flavonoids and saponins, while cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates and other sulfur compounds. Researchers suggested these compounds might interact differently with sex hormones — legumes potentially more with testosterone, cruciferous vegetables more with estrogen and progesterone — though O'Sullivan said direct evidence for this is lacking. The gut microbiome could also play a role, she said.

Of the 638 participants, 120 — about 19% — already had at least two cardiometabolic risk factors. Researchers used a two-factor threshold rather than the standard three-factor definition of metabolic syndrome because too few young participants met the stricter criterion for useful analysis.