OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the association between overweight and intake of beans in adults. METHODS: The study population was 2,352 adults (>18 years of age) living in Belém (PA), Brazil, in 2005. Sampling was done by randomly selecting households with a telephone landline and then selecting an adult in the household. The dependent variable was overweight, the explanatory variable was intake of beans and the confounding variables were age, education level, marital status, leisure-time physical activity and risky food habits. The data were analyzed by the chi-square test and logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 2,352 individuals were assessed where 39.8% were males. The prevalence of overweight was higher in men (49.3%) than in women (34.0%, p<0.001). Overweight was directly associated with age in both genders and with education level in men. In women, overweight was inversely associated with education level. The food behavior variable that best associated with overweight was intake of beans. After adjustment for the other variables, the risk of overweight was approximately 1.4 times greater in men who ate beans less than five times per week, but the inverse was true for women. CONCLUSION: The data show that better controlled studies are needed to understand the association between intake of beans and excess weight.
Adults; Intake of beans; Overweight; Food habits
