Pulses are nutrient-dense foods that have for a long time been empirically known to have beneficial effects in human health. In the last decade, several studies have gathered evidence of the metabolic benefits of pulse intake. However, it remains unclear at what amounts these effects may be attained. This study aimed to systematically review the scientific outputs of the last two decades regarding health benefits of pulse consumption and the amounts necessary for positive outcomes to be achieved. A PubMed search including keywords [(“dietary pulses”, “pulses”, “legumes”, “grain legumes”, “bean”, “chickpea”, “pea”, “lentil”, “cowpea”, “faba bean”, “lupin”) and (“inflammation”, “inflammatory markers”, “C-reactive protein”, “blood lipids”, “cholesterol”, “cardiometabolic health”, “cardiovascular disease”, “diabetes”, “glycaemia”, “insulin”, “HOMA-IR”, “body weight”, “body fat”, “obesity”, “overweight”, “metabolome”, “metabolic profile”, “metabolomics”, “biomarkers”, “microbiome”, “microbiota”, “gut”)] was performed. Only English written papers referring to human dietary interventions, longer than one day, focusing on whole pulses intake, were included. Most of the twenty eligible publications reported improvements in blood lipid profile, blood pressure, inflammation biomarkers, as well as, in body composition, resulting from pulse daily amounts of 150 g (minimum-maximum: 54-360 g/day; cooked). Concerns regarding methodological approaches are evident and the biochemical mechanisms underlying such effects require further investigation.

This pilot study aimed to assess the impact of substituting a traditional lunch for a vegetarian legume‐based meal on blood and anthropometric parameters in a group of omnivorous adults. A one‐group comparison, quasi‐experimental dietary intervention was designed. A vegetarian legume‐based meal was offered for 8 consecutive weeks (weekdays) to non‐vegetarian individuals ( n = 26), (28 years [ P ₂₅ = 20.0, P ₇₅ = 35.5]; 21.9 kg/m ² [ P ₂₅ = 21.3, P ₇₅ = 24.8]). Sociodemographic data, health status and lifestyle‐related information were recorded. Three‐day food records were used to collect food intake at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Anthropometric parameters were recorded and fasting blood analyses were performed following standard procedures. Wilcoxon signed‐rank test was used for statistical comparisons. A p ‐value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Participants showed a median intake of 79.8 g of cooked legumes per meal, meaning 13 (50.0%) subjects met the Portuguese daily legume intake recommendations during the intervention days. There were no statistically significant differences in anthropometric parameters. Transferrin concentration increased after 8 weeks (+12.5 mg/dL; p = 0.001). Total cholesterol concentration reduced after 8 weeks (−6 mg/dL; p = 0.041), as well as low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (−7 mg/dL; p = 0.003). Triglycerides (+9 mg/dL; p = 0.046), fasting glucose (+2 mg/dL; p = 0.037) and HbA1c (+0.1 mg/dL; p = 0.010) concentration increased after the 2‐month legume‐based trial. Results suggest a cholesterol‐lowering potential of legume‐rich diets. However, unfavourable results regarding the impact on glucose metabolism‐related biomarkers and triglyceride levels were observed. The study's limitations in design and sample size emphasise the importance of conducting further research with larger cohorts to attain more conclusive findings.