Zahradka Peter, Perera Danielle, Charney Jordan, Taylor Carla G
Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, St. Boniface Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB R2H 2A6, Canada.
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada.
Nutrients. 2025 Mar 27;17(7):1159. doi: 10.3390/nu17071159.
Postprandial vascular responses impact vascular health. This study investigated whether eating pulses or whole grains can acutely relax blood vessels in people with arterial stiffness. A single-blinded, controlled randomized cross-over clinical trial was conducted to compare the effects of pulses (¾ cup black beans) versus whole grains (¾ cup whole wheat kernels, also known as wheat berries) versus white rice (¾ cup) on postprandial vascular responses in males and females with established arterial stiffness (n = 9, 3M/6F, 50-64 years old). Peripheral and central hemodynamic measurements were obtained non-invasively prior to and 2 h after food consumption and were compared by t-test within a food type. Peripheral and central systolic blood pressure was increased (4%) after eating white rice but not after the consumption of wheat or beans. A marked decline in augmentation index at 75 bpm (arterial stiffness) from 26.1 ± 3.6% to 16.2 ± 2.0% was observed 2 h after eating whole wheat but not beans or white rice. All foods slightly decreased heart rate at 2 h but had limited effects on other parameters of circulatory or heart health. Eating whole wheat or beans acutely improved overall vascular and heart health when compared to white rice. The effects of wheat and beans were distinct, with whole wheat having a major positive effect on blood vessel stiffness. The findings suggest that regular inclusion of both whole wheat and beans in the diet would be beneficial for improving cardiovascular health in persons exhibiting signs of arterial dysfunction, thus providing a potential therapeutic benefit for individuals who are at risk of heart attack and stroke. The study was registered (NCT05818358) on ClinicalTrials.gov.
餐后血管反应会影响血管健康。本研究调查了食用豆类或全谷物是否能使动脉僵硬的人血管迅速舒张。开展了一项单盲、对照随机交叉临床试验，比较豆类（3/4杯黑豆）、全谷物（3/4杯全麦粒，也称为小麦粒）和白米饭（3/4杯）对已确诊动脉僵硬的男性和女性（n = 9，3名男性/6名女性，50 - 64岁）餐后血管反应的影响。在进食前和进食后2小时通过非侵入性方法获取外周和中心血流动力学测量值，并在食物类型内通过t检验进行比较。食用白米饭后外周和中心收缩压升高（4%），但食用小麦或豆类后未出现这种情况。食用全麦2小时后，75次/分钟时的增强指数（动脉僵硬程度）从26.1±3.6%显著下降至16.2±2.0%，而食用豆类或白米饭后未出现这种情况。所有食物在2小时时均使心率略有下降，但对循环或心脏健康的其他参数影响有限。与白米饭相比，食用全麦或豆类可迅速改善整体血管和心脏健康。小麦和豆类的效果不同，全麦对血管僵硬有主要的积极影响。研究结果表明，日常饮食中经常同时摄入全麦和豆类将有助于改善有动脉功能障碍迹象者的心血管健康，从而为有心脏病发作和中风风险的个体提供潜在的治疗益处。该研究已在ClinicalTrials.gov上注册（NCT05818358）。
