Black bean and chickpea consumption reduce glycemic response as part of a rice meal

Abstract

This study examined the effects of consumption of 50 grams of available carbohydrate from three test meals: plain white rice (control), black beans with rice, and chickpeas with rice in insulin sensitive adult women. Food portioning was done by gram weight, not volume and the carbohydrate content of the meals was equal. These weighed meal portions were approximately 3/4 cup of rice for the control, and about ½ cup of beans with ½ cup of rice for the black bean and chickpea treatments. Black beans and chickpeas have similar carbohydrate content per gram weight despite being different species. Using a randomized, crossover, placebo‐controlled design, 9 participants consumed each of the three test meals on different mornings, at least 7 days apart. Blood samples collected at time 0 (fasting), and at 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes post‐meal were analyzed for plasma glucose.The glucose response based on the incremental area under the curve to the rice/bean meals showed a significant difference by treatment (ANOVA, p=0.017). Results of a paired t‐test indicated that the glucose response curve was significantly different at two of the four time points for the black bean meal as well as the chickpea meal in comparison to rice alone, 60 minutes post‐prandial (p=0.041), and 90 minutes post‐prandial (p=0.002). Black bean and chickpea intake as part of a meal can reduce the glycemic response to high glycemic index foods, such as white rice.