A new study found that eating one chili meal a month was associated with a lower risk of gestational diabetes.
While the researchers caution that the study was relatively small and needs to be replicated in a larger cohort, they note that the findings are important given the steady increase in gestational diabetes.
Recent national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the prevalence of gestational diabetes in the US increased from 6% in 2016 to 8.3% in 2021.
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is initially diagnosed during pregnancy; if untreated, it can adversely affect the health of both mother and baby. While it often goes away after pregnancy, it can put the mother at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Risk factors include pre-pregnancy obesity, excessive weight gain during pregnancy, advanced maternal age, unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, and COVID-19.
Because of their excellent nutritional profile, beans and their possible health benefits during pregnancy were of interest to the researchers. Previous studies have shown that diets high in beans and other legumes can lead to healthier levels of blood sugars and significantly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, possibly because of their high fiber content and other beneficial components. However, few studies have focused on how they might affect gestational diabetes, especially in individuals eating a typical American diet.
“Our research aimed to study the roles of bean consumption in gestational diabetes, including chili, dried beans, and bean soup,” says Xiaozhong Wen, first author and associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Behavioral Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.
“Interestingly, only chili consumption was statistically significantly associated with the risk of gestational diabetes.”
The researchers found that pregnant women who ate chili once per month had a 3.5% risk of developing gestational diabetes, compared to 7.4% for expectant mothers who never ate chili.
The reasons why only chili was found to be associated with a low risk of gestational diabetes are not yet understood. However, the researchers note that some of the components that may be specific to chili, such as capsaicin, an extract of chili powder, and phenolic compounds in beans, especially the dark beans typically used in chili, have been linked to improved blood sugars.
“Both human and animal studies have shown that capsaicin and phenolic compounds have some potential benefits of improving glycemic control through slowing glucose absorption and increasing insulin secretion and/or insulin sensitivity,” says Wen.
The study included 1,397 pregnant women and was based on a secondary data analysis within a US national cohort study named Infant Feeding Practices Study II, which was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration in collaboration with the CDC. It enrolled mothers in late pregnancy and followed them and their infants up to 12 months postpartum.
Wen says the research findings need to be replicated in larger cohorts with more diverse populations, detailed measures of bean consumption and dietary intake information collected more frequently, and a randomized controlled design.
He adds that given the non-causal nature of observational research, recall bias, and selection bias, the findings should be interpreted cautiously.
So should pregnant individuals, especially those who might be at risk of developing gestational diabetes, consider adding chili into their diets?
“Moderate chili consumption may be incorporated into a balanced diet approach to addressing gestational diabetes, along with other clinical recommendations, such as early screening, diagnosis, exercise, and medications as needed,” says Wen.
The study appears in the journal Nutrients.
Funding for the study came from the US Department of Agriculture.
Source: University at Buffalo
