Dry beans, an important element in what is known as an authentic Mediterranean diet for the heart have been for centuries. Lowering cholesterol with soluble fiber, which have helped to reduce the incidence of heart disease in the population in the Mediterranean countries.

Why? Because …
– Legumes contain essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, folic acid, and someB-vitamins.
– You are poor, low in fat and sodium, making them an ideal food for maintaining high cholesterol and high blood pressure under control.
– Legumes are also high soluble fiber, the kind that lowers cholesterol.
– You can better balance your budget, because they are very cheap.
As you can see, dry beans are an almost perfect food.

In recent years, research has a lot of attention to the connection between pulses has paid regular or dryBean consumption and a lower incidence of heart disease. Studies have shown that people who eat dry beans regularly have a lower risk of heart attack than those who eat little.

One study examined the relationship between soluble fiber intake and the risk of heart disease in 9632 men and women for a period of 19 years. It was found that a reduction in the consumption of legumes four times or more per week, compared to less than once a week, the risk of heart disease, 22percent1

As food legumes helps to reduce the risk of heart disease?

1. Beans contain high amounts of soluble fiber
Fiber is what plants their structure. E 'especially in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and wheat products. And 'the part of the installations that our system does not fail because they lack the appropriate mechanisms for it. Therefore, our cells have little use for fiber. May be in soluble fiber andinsoluble, and most plant foods contain a combination of both.

Soluble fiber means that the fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel like paste with other foods in the gut. This feature is very important because it reduces the amount of cholesterol circulating in the blood. Soluble fiber not only lowers LDL cholesterol, the "bad" guy, but also raises HDL cholesterol, the "good" Guy.

Insoluble fiber has no effect on cholesterolbut it is very useful for our whole body, because it is a natural laxative

2. Beans help remove cholesterol from the system
Bile produced by the liver, a substance needed to break the fat you take in food. For the production of bile, the liver becomes grabs the cholesterol from the blood into the bile and sends it to the gallbladder, where it is stored for use. Then, when you eat, the gallbladder sends the bile into the intestine to help breakThe determination of fat content of food. Once his work is bile in the gut, pass through two things:

– If our meal has enough soluble fiber, the fiber grabs the bile and takes him from the body through the feces. Once the bile is eliminated, the liver responds by making more cholesterol from the blood of bile again. The result is less cholesterol circulating in our system.

– If our meal will not have enough soluble fiber, the bile is not removedbody. In this case, the liver does not need to pull cholesterol from the blood to produce more bile because there is abundant in the system. The result is more of cholesterol in our blood vessels in navigation.

3. Beans stop cholesterol, also forming
When our meal includes soluble fiber, bacteria in the colon and ferment. This fermentation produces certain compounds that prevent the formation of cholesterol. This leads tolow levels of cholesterol in the blood vessels.

4. Beans homocysteine can prevent heart attacks or strokes
Homocysteine is a substance the body needs to produce certain compounds vital for our organs to function properly. For the production of homocysteine, the body requires a sufficient amount of vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid. However, if there is a lack of these vitamins, homocysteine is not converted into the necessary connections. Then spreadTraffic.

Many studies have shown that when homocysteine accumulates in our system, is poisonous. Even in small quantities, it will dramatically increase the risk of heart disease. High concentrations of homocysteine in the blood can cause a heart attack or stroke, even in people who have normal cholesterol levels.

How can homocysteine cause heart attack or stroke?

Abnormal levels of homocysteine appear:

– Damage to the inner lining ofthe arteries and blood vessels
– Promote the formation of blood clots
– Oxidation of LDL cholesterol

How to avoid the accumulation of homocysteine in the blood?
Eating foods that contain folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. Legumes contain an excellent source of folic acid and moderate amounts of B6. Recent data show that the practice of food fortification with folic acid, the average level of homocysteine in the United States has reduced the population.

Conclusion
Did not dry beans every day to eat, but studies conducted during more than 25 years, a nutritionist at Michigan State University based on the finding that consumption of 2-4 cups of cooked dry beans every week to get against the disease protect the heart by lowering cholesterol. Mediterranean follow this practice and have a low incidence of heart attacks and stroke is well known, we follow their example and we are more dry beans as part of a truly Mediterranean> Diet.