Photo of the URV research team. Photo: Sedida
the vegetables It is distinguished by its content in Vegetable proteins, fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. They are a typical food of Mediterranean diet Its consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as High blood pressure, obesity or diabetes.
But to date, no study has explored the biological mechanisms behind these associations. Now, a research team from Human Nutrition Unit at URV demonstrated for the first time the process by which legumes help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
the Ohmic sciencesAs with metabolic processes, it has allowed a better understanding of the biological processes associated with the effects derived from the consumption of certain foods on the body, such as coffee, olive oil or meat. However, to date, the metabolic fingerprint – the small molecules resulting from food consumption and the metabolic pathways involved – of legumes and their relationship to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease has not been determined.
The research team, in cooperation with scientists fromHarvard School of Public Health that day University of Navarrestudied blood samples from 1,833 elderly people at risk for cardiovascular diseasePre-established clinical trial. Based on these samples, food consumption was assessed at the beginning of the study and after one year of follow-up. Relying on advanced statistical methods of machine learning (machine learning), the molecular pattern of legume consumption was determined. The research showed that individuals who ate more legumes also had a higher pattern of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, with greater consumption of dairy products, vegetables and fruits and lower intake of meat and grains.
The method used not only allows the identification of metabolic pathways associated with diabetes and metabolic diseases, but also confirms the importance of nutrition in long-term diseases and opens new avenues of research to develop potential drugs and preventive treatments.
the Metabolic fingerprint in the blood It was composed of 40 metabolites, including several classes of lipids, and was associated with a 23% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. These results show “the importance of consuming legumes for health, especially in preventing this disease,” the research team points out. In addition, the metabolites identified in the study “help us better understand the metabolic pathways related to their consumption and their potential involvement in the pathophysiology of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
The results of this work were published in the scientific journal Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes It is headed by a pre-doctoral researcher Hernando J. Margara Escudero Under the supervision of the research team in URV-IISPV Format for each Indira Paz Graniel, Jesús García Gavilan, Nancy Papillo, and Jordi Salas Salvado. They are all members of Center for Biomedical Research in Obesity Pathophysiology and Nutrition Network (CIBERobn) And fromPer Virgili Institute for Health Research.
“Infuriatingly humble social media buff. Twitter advocate. Writer. Internet nerd.”
