The Claim

In male patients with coronary artery disease, replacing refined rice with whole grain and legume powder for 16 weeks reduces plasma homocysteine concentrations by approximately 32%, independent of changes in folate levels, suggesting a direct or indirect effect on one-carbon metabolism or insulin sensitivity.

Source: Consumption of Whole Grain and Legume Powder Reduces Insulin Demand, Lipid Peroxidation, and Plasma Homocysteine Concentrations in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
56score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In men with coronary artery disease, substituting refined rice with whole grain and legume powder for 16 weeks lowers plasma homocysteine levels by about 32%, regardless of folate level changes.

See the scientific wording

In male patients with coronary artery disease, replacing refined rice with whole grain and legume powder for 16 weeks reduces plasma homocysteine concentrations by approximately 32%, independent of changes in folate levels, suggesting a direct or indirect effect on one-carbon metabolism or insulin sensitivity.

Why this might work

Eating whole grains and legumes instead of refined rice slows down how fast sugar enters the blood, which reduces the amount of insulin the body needs to make. Over time, this makes cells more responsive to insulin, which allows the body to break down homocysteine more efficiently using existing metabolic pathways, lowering its levels in the blood without needing more folate.

Verified mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study

  1. Study: Consumption of Whole Grain and Legume Powder Reduces Insulin Demand, Lipid Peroxidation, and Plasma Homocysteine Concentrations in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

    For men with heart disease, swapping white rice for a mix of whole grains and legumes every day for four months lowered a harmful blood chemical called homocysteine by about a third — even without changing how much folate they ate. This suggests the food swap itself helps the body metabolize things better.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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