title: Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a risk factor for developing several diseases, and although dietary pulses (nonoil seeds of legumes such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, and dry peas) are well positioned to aid in weight control, the effects of dietary pulses on weight loss are unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We summarized and quantified the effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight, waist circumference, and body fat by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched the databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library through 11 May 2015 for randomized controlled trials of ≥3 wk of duration that compared the effects of diets containing whole dietary pulses with those of comparator diets without a dietary pulse intervention. Study quality was assessed by means of the Heyland Methodologic Quality Score, and risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data were pooled with the use of generic inverse-variance random-effects models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings from 21 trials (n = 940 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed an overall significant weight reduction of -0.34 kg (95% CI: -0.63, -0.04 kg; P = 0.03) in diets containing dietary pulses (median intake of 132 g/d or ∼1 serving/d) compared with diets without a dietary pulse intervention over a median duration of 6 wk. Significant weight loss was observed in matched negative-energy-balance (weight loss) diets (P = 0.02) and in neutral-energy-balance (weight-maintaining) diets (P = 0.03), and there was low evidence of between-study heterogeneity. Findings from 6 included trials also suggested that dietary pulse consumption may reduce body fat percentage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inclusion of dietary pulses in a diet may be a beneficial weight-loss strategy because it leads to a modest weight-loss effect even when diets are not intended to be calorically restricted. Future studies are needed to determine the effects of dietary pulses on long-term weight-loss sustainability. This protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01594567.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit.
authors.forename: Shana J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; rdesouz@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Russell J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit.
authors.forename: Vivian L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Choo
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada;
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Medicine, and Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit.
authors.forename: Adrian I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Cozma
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiavaroli
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada;
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mirrahimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blanco Mejia
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, American Heart Association, Dallas, TX;
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Buono
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Wellness Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH;
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Medicine, and Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada;
authors.forename: Lawrence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Leiter
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; and.
authors.forename: Penny M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kris-Etherton
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Medicine, and Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada;
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vuksan
authors.affiliation: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada;
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beyene
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
authors.forename: Cyril Wc
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Medicine, and Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada;
authors.forename: David Ja
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada;
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sievenpiper
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007887:Fabaceae; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012527:Satiation; D055105:Waist Circumference; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004044:Dietary Proteins
keywords: beans; body fat; body weight; dietary pulses; legumes; meta-analysis; waist circumference; weight loss