A longevity expert has recommended a ‘superfood’ which he says can add four years to your life expectancy. Dan Buettner has made headlines around the world with his research into long life.
He is best-known for his research into blue zones – parts of the world where people lead much longer and healthier lives than the average. He believes that beans are the ‘cornerstone of every longevity diet in the world’.
Buettner says that not only are they packed with nutrients that are ideal for the human body, but they are also cheap, sustainable, and have been popular with Man for around 13,000 years.
He said: “Beans are the ultimate longevity food. Packed with protein, fiber, and complex carbs, they’re a staple in every long-living culture.
“One study even found that eating a cup of beans a day could add four extra years to your life. No supplement can do that. If you want to live longer, eat what humans have thrived on for thousands of years.”
What does the science say?
Sure enough, a 2001 study looking at 9632 men and women did conclude that ‘a significant inverse relationship between legume intake and risk of CHD (coronary heart disease) and that increasing legume intake may be an important part of a dietary approach to the primary prevention of CHD in the general population’.
Cardiovascular disease often coexists with dyslipidemia, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, and obesity. Research has found that beans can slash cholesterol and blood sugars, protect against cancer, and help manage people’s weight.
They are packed with protein and fibre, which helps keep people feeling fuller for longer. They are also a rich source of copper, folic acid, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
Beans also have a low glycemic index score, so they do not cause blood sugars to rise rapidly and crash, compared to foods like those made with refined grains or added sugars.
Which bean is best?
All beans are healthy, but different ones offer different health benefits. Lentils are rich in polyphenols, plant-based compounds that have both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties – great to protect your body against diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
Half a cup provides 115 calories, 20g of carbohydrate, 9g protein, 0g of saturated fat, and 8g of fibre. More than 90 per cent of Brits fail to eat enough fibre each day, and 8g represents almost 30 per cent of our suggested daily target.
White beans – including cannellini beans and butter beans – are particularly rich in potassium, calcium, folate, and iron, while black beans contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are also rich in protein and fibre.
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are high in fibre, protein, and folate – something especially important for women trying to become pregnant. Red kidney beans – a popular option in the UK when served with chilli – are a brilliant source of plant-based iron.
Even baked beans can be part of a healthy diet. They are usually made with white beans such as haricot or cannellini, and served in a tomato sauce along with spices and seasoning such as paprika, onion powder, salt, and sugar. Ideally they should be eaten alongside vegetables though, and watch out for the salt and sugar content. On average, half a can of shop-bought baked beans can contain around 9g of sugar (10 per cent of the daily reference intake) and up to 1.3g of salt, which is about 20 per cent of the daily reference intake.
‘Better than any supplement or any superfood on Instagram’
“Beans are the cornerstone of every longevity diet in the world. Why? They are complex carbohydrates, they are full of protein, and they have a lot of fibre,” Buettner said. “They are cheap, people in blue zones know how to make them taste delicious, they are sustainable, they grow sustainably, and there is one very good study that followed a lot of people for decades, and they found that the more beans people ate, the longer they lived.
“The rough equivalency is if you are eating a cup of beans a day and you start young enough, it’s worth about four extra years of life expectancy. And I don’t know of any pill or any supplement or any superfood on Instagram that’s going to give you an extra four years of life expectancy.
“Beans have been around humans for 13,000 years. I find that if you pay attention to what we evolved with, it’s usually a pretty good prescriptive for what we should do if we want to be around longer.”