CARDIOVASCULAR disease (CVD) incidence was lower when processed meat was replaced with pulses, according to findings presented at the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress from an analysis of UK Biobank data.
Pulses and Heart Disease Risk
Pulses, which include dried edible seeds of legumes such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas, are rich in fibre, plant protein, and micronutrients.
Current dietary recommendations increasingly encourage higher pulse intake while limiting processed and red meat consumption because of their established links with chronic disease risk.
However, few studies have examined how replacing meat with pulses affects CVD incidence.
Investigating a Simple Dietary Swap
The prospective analysis included 118,272 adults from the UK Biobank with no baseline CVD and at least two dietary assessments. Participants were followed for approximately 12 years to investigate whether replacing meat with pulses influenced future cardiovascular outcomes.
The study population, 57% of whom were female, had a mean age of 55.8 years and an average pulse intake of just 13.2 g/day, around 67 g below a standard portion of 80 g. During follow-up, researchers recorded 9,794 CVD events and 7,344 cases of ischaemic heart disease (IHD).
Processed Meat Replacement Showed Strongest Benefits
Researchers modelled the replacement of up to one daily portion of meat (67 g) with an equivalent amount of pulses and adjusted for a broad range of demographic, lifestyle, family history, and dietary factors.
Replacing processed poultry with pulses was associated with a 13% lower risk of CVD (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78–0.99). For IHD, replacing processed meat with pulses was associated with a 15% lower risk (HR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.78–0.93), while replacing total red meat with pulses was linked to a 10% lower risk (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.84–0.98).
Notably, replacing unprocessed meat with pulses did not show similarly significant associations.
Implications for Future Dietary Advice
The authors concluded that replacing processed, rather than unprocessed, meat with up to one daily portion of pulses was associated with lower CVD and IHD incidence and mortality among middle-aged adults in the UK.
Future studies may help determine whether implementing these dietary changes in real-world clinical settings translates into measurable reductions in cardiovascular risk.
Reference
Olotu OA et al. The modelled replacement of meat with pulses on CVD and ischaemic heart disease risk: a prospective analysis of the UK Biobank. 94th EAS Congress, 24-27 May, Athens.
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