Meta-analyses of the Effect of Legumes on Blood Pressure

Legumes are generally recognized as healthy dietary components, and although beans and legumes are recommended in food guidelines in North America, guidelines vary in regards to how much and how often these foods should be consumed. Furthermore, although North American and European guidelines recommend dietary pulses for glycemic control, dietary pulses and other legumes are not specifically suggested for controlling blood pressure and maintaining heart health. To improve evidence-based guidance for legume recommendations, the investigators propose to conduct a systematic review of clinical studies to assess the effect of eating legumes in exchange for other foods on blood pressure in humans. The systematic review process allows the combining of the results from many small studies in order to arrive at a pooled estimate, similar to a weighted average, of the true effect. The investigators will be able to explore whether eating legumes has different effects in different demographics, and whether or not the effect of legumes depends on how much/often they are eaten. The findings of this proposed knowledge synthesis will help improve the health of Canadians through informing recommendations for the general public, as well as those at risk of heart disease and diabetes.