Quinoa and heart disease and diabetes: a review
What it found
Quinoa contains nutrients and plant compounds that may help with blood fats, blood pressure, blood sugar and gut bacteria.
Most of the evidence comes from animal and lab studies, with some small trials in people.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood fats in people
In one trial, overweight women aged 35 who ate 25 g of quinoa powder daily for 4 weeks had lower blood triglycerides and total cholesterol. In another study, adults who ate 50 g of quinoa daily for 12 weeks had lower triglycerides, but total cholesterol, HDL and LDL did not change.
Blood sugar in people
In people with diabetes, a quinoa and rice mixed diet for 12 days led to lower blood sugar 2 hours after meals than in a control group. Quinoa has a glycemic index of 53 plus or minus 5, lower than rice at 69 plus or minus 7 and wheat at 70 plus or minus 5.
Animal and lab studies
Blood fats in animals
Rats fed a high-sugar diet with quinoa starch for 5 weeks had lower total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides and blood glucose. Other rat studies found quinoa polysaccharides lowered blood fats, with higher doses working better than lower doses.
Blood pressure
In rats with high blood pressure, quinoa protein given for 5 weeks lowered blood pressure and changed gut bacteria. Lab tests found quinoa peptides could block an enzyme involved in raising blood pressure.
Blood sugar in animals
Diabetic mice fed quinoa flour for 6 weeks had lower fasting blood sugar. Other mouse studies found quinoa increased liver glycogen and insulin levels and improved islet cell function.
Gut bacteria
In mice, quinoa changed the mix of gut bacteria and increased types linked to better glucose tolerance. Lab tests found quinoa extract increased Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and inhibited Proteobacteria.
What the authors conclude
- They say quinoa has high nutritional value and significant benefits as a functional health food.
- They advise that future research should focus on explaining how quinoa's active ingredients work in the body.
- They say this includes studying their effects in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics to boost quinoa's value for human chronic diseases.
How it was done
Chronic diseases have become a major problem affecting modern populations, and people have begun consuming nutritious and functional foods to maintain body health. The authors wanted to summarise quinoa's nutritional components and the effects of its active substances.
The authors reviewed studies on quinoa's active ingredients and their effects on cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These included trials in people, experiments in rats and mice, and lab tests.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the findings come from rats, mice or lab tests, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- Some of the human studies were small and short, so they cannot show whether quinoa prevents heart disease or diabetes over time.
- The authors say the mechanisms behind quinoa's effects on heart disease and diabetes remain unclear.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China; Xiyuan Hospital, China; National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, China
The paper
- Title
- Effects of quinoa on cardiovascular disease and diabetes: a review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zhang H, Li R (2024). Effects of quinoa on cardiovascular disease and diabetes: a review. Frontiers in nutrition. doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1470834Free full textPubMed 39430786DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error