 I've talked previously about the anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects of various phytochemicals in beans, but there are protective effects on the cardiovascular system as well. Plant-specific compounds can have a remarkable impact on the healthcare system and may provide therapeutic health benefits, including the prevention and or treatment of diseases and disorders. Anti-oxidant effects, anti-inflammatory, liver protective, blood cholesterol lowering, blood pressure lowering, as well as the prevention of aging diabetes, osteoporosis, DNA damage, heart disease, and other disorders. Those without legumes in their daily diet, for example, may be at quadruple the odds of suffering high blood pressure. Legumes, such as chickpeas, have been used to treat high blood pressure and diabetes for thousands of years. Here's what they can do to our cholesterol levels. These took people on a diet high enough in fat to rival the cholesterol levels in the Western world, around 206. Swapped in chickpeas for the macraines that they were eating, and in five months, their cholesterol dropped about 20% to 160, almost down to the target, which is around 150. A reduction of more than 15% in most of the subjects and its sustained action during long-term administration not only indicate a definite benefit, but show that chickpeas are superior to many cholesterol-lowering substances. In a randomized crossover trial, adding two servings a day of lentils, chickpeas, beans, or split peas cut cholesterol levels so much that many participants moved below the range at which statin drugs are typically prescribed. But I'm going to go back to this study, because I really buried the lead. The participants were started out on a low fat diet, really low fat, and so their cholesterol started out at 123 well within the safety zone, only after packing their diet with saturated fat, were they able to boost their cholesterol up to typical American levels, which could then be ameliorated by adding chickpeas to their lousy new diet. But it'd be better if they just stayed healthy in the first place, or even better, healthy and hummus, a healthy diet with lots of legumes.