effects of legumes on metabolic features, insulin resistance and hepatic function tests in women with central obesity: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT

The effect of high-legume hypocaloric diet on metabolic features in women is unclear. This study provided an opportunity to find effects of high-legume diet on metabolic features in women who consumed high legumes at pre-study period. In this randomized controlled trial after 2 weeks of a run-in period on an isocaloric diet, 42 premenopausal women with central obesity were randomly assigned into two groups [1] Hypocaloric diet enriched in legumes [HDEL] and [2] hypocaloric diet without legumes [HDWL] for 6 weeks. The following variables were assessed before intervention and 3 and 6 weeks after its beginning Waist circumference [WC], systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], fasting serum concentrations of triglyceride [TG], high density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood sugar [FBS], insulin, homeostasis model of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST]. We used multifactor model of nested multivariate analysis of variance repeated measurements and t-test for statistical analysis. HDEL and HDWL significantly reduced the WC. HDEL significantly reduced the SBP and TG. Both HDEL and HDWL significantly increased fasting concentration of insulin and HOMA-IR after 3 weeks, but their significant effects on insulin disappeared after 6 weeks and HDEL returned HOMA-IR to basal levels in the subsequent 3 weeks. In HDEL group percent of decrease in AST and ALT between 3[rd] and 6[th] weeks was significant. In HDWL group percent of increase in SBP, DBP, FBS and TG between 3[rd] and 6[th] weeks was significant. The study indicated beneficial effects of hypocaloric legumes on metabolic features