Eating products made with flour containing lupin can lower the risk of heart disease according to research carried out at The University of Western Australia (UWA). Lupins are legumes, which have been eaten since Roman times, and could return as a health trend in 2018.

Dr Regina Belski from Victoria University researched lupin with colleagues from UWA. She said there has been renewed interest in using that flour in regular foods because of its high-protein, high-fibre composition and its ability to be incorporated easily into typical food products such as bread.

Those taking part in the study were put on a weight-loss diet and split into two groups. For a year, one group ate food incorporating 40 per cent lupin flour, while the other group ate foods made solely with wholemeal flour. During the course of the experiment, Regina and her team monitored heart disease risk factors, including blood pressure, and the level of fats, sugar and insulin in the blood.

The food provided to participants during the study included bread, pasta and biscuits. Researchers found that while both the lupin group and the wholemeal group lost similar amounts of weight, the lupin group displayed bigger improvements in several heart disease risk factors.

“Consuming lupin flour lowered blood pressure and reduced the risk of heart disease,” she said. “It’s as simple as that.”

The study suggested that lupin flour might also be good for those suffering from Type 2 or adult onset diabetes, because even non-diabetic individuals’ sensitivity to insulin improved during the trial.