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Eating a tin of chickpeas a day could be key to beating dangerous high cholesterol—a leading cause of heart disease and stroke.

An intriguing new study found those who added the tinned favourite to their daily diet for a period of three months saw their originally high levels of the harmful fat drop to within the normal range.

The researchers, from the Illinois Institute of Technology, also found another type of tinned pulse—black beans— had a similar cholesterol-lowering effect.

Speaking of the findings, lead author Professor Morganne Smith urged those with high cholesterol to replace ‘less healthy’ options with beans—whether canned, dried or frozen.

‘There are a lot of ways to incorporate beans into your regular diet as a cost-effective way to support overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases,’ she said.

‘You can blend them to add some thickness to a soup base, add them as a salad topping, or pair them with other grains like rice.’

The scientists believe pulses like chickpeas and beans may boost the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which are thought to be helpful in clearing harmful cholesterol from the blood.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is essential for various bodily functions.

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Researchers found that eating chickpeas every day significantly improved cholesterol whilst black beans helped to reduce inflammation, pointing to a simple cost-effective way to lower chronic disease risk

There are two types—HDL, the good kind, and LDL, too much of which is considered unhealthy.

An excess of bad cholesterol has long been linked with serious health problems including heart attacks and strokes.

This is because LDL can form plaques that build up and block arteries, limiting the supply of blood to and from the heart.

An estimated 6.3 million people in the UK are thought to suffer from the condition, which left untreated can develop into type 2 diabetes as well as heart conditions.

In the 12-week study, the results of which were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando, 72 prediabetics were analysed to see how introducing beans to daily diets affected their health.

According to the Heart Foundation, diabetics are around twice as likely to suffer a stroke or develop heart disease.

Studies estimate that around three quarters of people with diabetes also suffer high cholesterol.

Participants were randomly assigned to eat either one cup of black beans, chickpeas, or rice—which was the control group—every day for 12 weeks.

Blood samples were taken at the start of the study, half-way through and again six weeks later to track cholesterol, blood sugar levels and inflammation.

Researchers also carried out a glucose tolerance test at the start and end of the study—measuring participants’ response to sugar.

At the end of the study those who ate chickpeas daily experienced a significant decrease in cholesterol levels, from 200.4mg per deciliter of blood at the start of the study, to 185.8mg at the end.

Total cholesterol levels above 200mg/dl are considered high, while figures below this are normal.

Those eating black beans were also found to have lower levels of inflammation after 12 weeks.

The researchers concluded: ‘Our study found that bean consumption helped significantly lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation in people with prediabetes.’

Critically, Prof Smith advised people who want to introduce beans into their daily diets to be cautious of any additional ingredients commonly found in the products—such as salt or sugar, both of which have been linked with heart disease.

Almost six million people in the UK have diabetes, of which 90 pre cent is type 2, but charities estimate there 1.2million people are living with disease undiagnosed.