(NAFB) – Adding cooked black beans to a high-fat diet improved sensitivity to insulin and other measures often related to diabetes, according to a USDA Agricultural Research Service study.

As little as the mouse-sized equivalent of a single serving a day of black beans—about a half cup for a human—lowered insulin resistance 87 percent.

A USDA researcher says, “This research suggests that eating even a small amount of black beans can have multiple health benefits.”

Mice on the high-fat plus black beans diet also decreased LDL cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol, 28 percent and triglyceride levels 37 percent compared to mice eating a high-fat diet without black beans. Other diabetes-related biomarkers were all significantly better in the mice on the high-fat plus black beans diet.

Black beans are generally low in fat and high in fiber and protein. They are popular in Latin American, Mexican and Caribbean cuisines as well as in Cajun and Creole cooking.