Increasing the proportion of beans to white rice is associated with lower cardio‐metabolic risk factors in Costa Rican adults

High intake of white rice has been associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Costa Ricans follow a staple dietary pattern that includes white rice and beans, yet the combined effect of these foods on cardio-metabolic risk factors has not been studied. We aimed to determine the association between intake of white rice and beans and MetS and its components in Costa Rican adults (n=1879) without T2D. Multivariate adjusted means were calculated for components of MetS by daily servings of white rice and beans (<1, 1, >1), and by the proportion of beans to white rice. Odds ratio for MetS was calculated by substituting one serving of beans for one of white rice. Results showed that increasing daily servings of white rice were associated positively with systolic blood pressure (BP), triglycerides (TG) and fasting glucose, and inversely with HDL-C (all P for trend <0.01). Increasing servings of beans were inversely associated with diastolic BP (P=0.049). Significant trends for higher HDL-C and lower BP and TG were observed for 1:3, 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1 proportions of beans to white rice. Substituting one serving of beans for white rice was associated with 36% (95% CI=13%–53%) lower odds of MetS. In conclusion, increasing the proportion of beans to white rice, or limiting the intake of white rice by substituting beans, may lower cardio-metabolic risk factors. Grant Funding Source: NIH grants HL 60692 and HL 49086