Are Chickpeas Good for Cholesterol?

Yes, chickpeas can help lower LDL cholesterol when eaten regularly as part of a heart-healthy diet because their fiber helps remove cholesterol and they can replace foods high in saturated fat.

Can chickpeas help if you have high cholesterol?

Chickpeas are a useful food choice for high cholesterol, but their effect is likely to be modest and varies from person to person. A small study found lower LDL cholesterol during a diet that included chickpeas, although other dietary changes may also have contributed.

The benefit is most useful as part of an overall eating pattern, not as a substitute for prescribed treatment. For more options, see the best foods for high cholesterol. If you take cholesterol medication, keep taking it as prescribed and discuss dietary changes with your clinician.

How might chickpeas affect cholesterol?

Chickpeas contain dietary fiber, including soluble fiber. Some soluble fiber binds bile acids in the digestive tract, allowing them to leave the body in stool. The liver uses cholesterol to make more bile acids and can take LDL cholesterol from the blood to do so.

What chickpeas replace matters, too. Choosing chickpeas instead of a food high in saturated fat, such as fatty processed meat, can reduce the saturated fat in a meal. Replacing a food that is already low in saturated fat may not have the same effect.

Chickpeas also contain plant protein, making them a practical alternative to some animal-based foods. They do not need to be eaten alone: the rest of the meal and your usual eating pattern still matter.

What does the evidence say about chickpeas and cholesterol?

In a small exploratory study of chickpeas and blood lipids, participants had modestly lower total and LDL cholesterol after a phase that included chickpeas than after a subsequent phase on their usual diet. Their fiber and fat intake also changed during the chickpea phase, so the study cannot establish exactly which change caused the difference or predict an individual’s response.

Another small crossover study compared a pulse-based diet with a regular diet in soccer players. Some blood-lipid measures improved in women, while the study found no differences between diet phases in men. Because the diet included several kinds of pulses, it does not establish the effect of chickpeas alone.

Together, these studies support chickpeas as a reasonable part of a cholesterol-conscious diet, but they do not show that chickpeas alone prevent heart attacks or replace medication. Other parts of the diet matter as well; see the best drinks for high cholesterol for a related guide.

How can you use chickpeas for high cholesterol?

Choose plain cooked chickpeas and use them regularly in meals you enjoy. If you are not used to eating fiber-rich foods, start with a small portion and increase gradually as tolerated.

Try using chickpeas in these ways:

• Add them to a salad in place of some cheese or fatty processed meat.
• Stir them into a vegetable soup or grain bowl instead of a high-saturated-fat meat.
• Mash them for a sandwich filling, using vegetables and seasonings rather than relying on butter or a creamy dressing.
• Use hummus as a spread, checking the label for sodium and saturated fat.

Both canned and dried chickpeas can fit. Canned chickpeas are convenient; look for a no-added-salt or lower-sodium option if you need to limit sodium. Draining and rinsing them can also reduce sodium. Dried chickpeas need to be cooked thoroughly before eating.

Pay attention to the whole dish. Adding chickpeas to a meal does not necessarily offset a large amount of saturated fat from other ingredients. If you have been given an individualized eating plan, ask your clinician or dietitian how to fit chickpeas into it.

Who should be careful, and when should you see a doctor?

Chickpeas can cause gas or bloating, particularly if you increase your fiber intake quickly. People with irritable bowel syndrome may find that chickpeas trigger symptoms; a dietitian can help identify an amount that is tolerable without unnecessarily restricting the diet.

Avoid chickpeas if you have a known chickpea allergy. If you develop trouble breathing, throat swelling or fainting after eating them, call emergency services.

If you have kidney disease or have been told to limit potassium or sodium, ask your kidney-care team how chickpeas fit your plan. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, and for children with high cholesterol, seek individualized advice before making major dietary restrictions.

High cholesterol usually has no symptoms, so arrange the blood tests and follow-up your clinician recommends. This is especially important if you have diabetes, a strong family history of early heart disease or suspected inherited high cholesterol. Do not stop or change prescribed medicine without medical advice.

Call emergency services for chest pressure or pain, especially with shortness of breath, sweating, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw. These can be signs of a heart attack and should not be managed with food.