“The lowly bean is finally getting some recognition. Studies show that beans help protect against cancer, especially polyp formation in the bowel which leads to bowel cancer – the second leading cause of death from cancer in the US. The first study was conducted among African-American men and women and showed that those who ate the most legumes had 1/5 the bowel polyps (early signs of cancer) than of those not eating legumes (relative risk 0.19) The authors of the study encouraged a greater consumption of all legumes, especially kidney beans, split peas, garbanzos, and lentils. Another study, called the Polyps Prevention Trial, found that those eating the most legumes (highest quartile of bean intake) had only 1/3 (relative risk 0.35) the rate of advanced polyp reoccurrence compared to those eating the fewest legumes (bottom quartile). The Nurses’ Health Study found both legumes and fruits to be protective against bowel polyps. Women eating 5 or more servings of fruits daily had 40 percent fewer polyps than those eating only 1 serving of fruit daily. Women eating 4 or more servings of legumes weekly had 35 percent fewer bowel polyps compared to women eating only 1 serving per week.” (Making Healthy Choices Newsletter, Issue 53, January 2010) so for better health eat 5 or more servings (1/2 cup) of legumes (beans) each week!