Clinical Nutrition ESPENNov 1, 2026, 19:14 GMT

Pulse and meat diets improved heart risk markers in older adults

In a randomized crossover feeding trial, 47 older adults completed eight weeks on each diet, with similar improvements in most measured risk markers.

Paper by Bruna O de Vargas, Saba Vaezi, Lee A. Weidauer, Wade M Sanders, Moul Dey · South Dakota State University

Our read

Interventions

Studied:: Randomized trial in 47 older Midwestern adults, eight weeks each, against the meat-protein diet (Registered NCT05577858)
What changed:: Blood sugar and blood-fat markers improved similarly on pulse and meat diets
The catch:: Each diet lasted only eight weeks
Why it’s aging research:: It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper

Midwestern adults aged 60 or older took part in a randomized crossover feeding trial. Forty-seven completed it; their average age was 69.2 years, and 72% were women. Participants ate both diets for eight weeks each, separated by at least two weeks. The diets supplied 331.6 grams of pulses or 162 grams of lean pork daily. Both followed US dietary guidelines and matched calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and total iron.

Most blood sugar and blood-fat markers improved similarly on both diets. Total fat and fat around internal organs declined, without differences between diets. The pulse diet produced a greater reduction in the ratio of fat around internal organs to total fat. Ferritin, a marker of iron stores, rose more on pulses: 15.7 nanograms per milliliter, versus 7.0 on pork.

Why it matters

Cardiovascular risk factors are relevant to healthy aging. The trial addressed whether the main protein source matters within diets that otherwise follow dietary guidelines.

Caveats

The trial measured short-term changes in biomarkers, not longer or healthier lives, in Midwestern adults aged 60 or older. The abstract does not report adverse events.