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Research examines how adding pulses, like the black bean burger pictured above, can play a major role in the fight against cancers. PROJECT TITLE Increasing pulse intake in primary care patients: The CHANGE Cancer Alberta Intervention's increase pulse module and toolbox PROJECT LEAD Douglas Klein, University of Alberta TOTAL VALUE OF PROJECT $211,319 FUNDING PARTNERS Canadian Institute of Health Research, Alberta Health, Alberta Cancer Legacy Fund, Social Sciences and Humanities, Research Council of Canada When you get sick, a doctor treats the sickness with medicine. That sounds true enough, but today, medical science is embarking on a new approach. Rather than look solely to medicine management to restore health, it seems possible to maintain or enhance patients' health status in other ways. The CHANGE Cancer Alberta initiative is one avenue for this development, according to Dr. Doug Klein of the University of Alberta's Department of Family Medicine. "For the CHANGE Cancer Alberta initiative, we're focusing on diet and exercise intervention to hopefully take the place of what we have traditionally done with medicine management," said Klein. "It addresses a broad condition known as metabolic syndrome, that can put people at a high risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes." Alberta pulse growers could be a key part of the province's health transformation. If higher-risk patients increased the amount of peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas and faba beans in their diets, their health conditions could improve. This, combined with exercise, would improve these patients' lives at a fraction of the cost of medicine-focused therapies. We've known as much for years. The challenge, according to Klein, is getting people to actually do it. This, in fact, is the focus of a three-year study Klein is leading, with funding support from Alberta Pulse Growers, Alberta Health Services, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and others. WILL HELP & INFORMATION MAKE A DIFFERENCE? "For this study," Klein said, "we're offering people the opportunity to work with a team that includes their exercise specialist, a dietitian and their family doctor, to make some lifestyle changes." Started in 2016, and running to 2019, this study is a randomized control trial of two groups of patients. One group will receive support and counselling to help them improve their diet, include more pulses, and exercise more. One group will not. As changes to the two study groups' health status are observed and compared, the impact of increasing pulse intake in primary care patients should come into focus. From Klein's perspective, pulses are an important part of a healthy diet and an under-recognized component of healthy living. Unfortunately, most Canadians have not acted on this information. "We just completed a demonstration project at three sites across Canada, and of 300 people, very few knew about pulses," Klein said. "Here in Alberta, working from baseline data of 60 people, only one individual eats pulses regularly. So there's lots of room to grow." Many of these patients don't know that peas, beans and some other legumes are all pulses. They might not know how to prepare them. Thus, the medical nudging of the family doctor and the advice of a dietitian could help these patients get the improvement they need. That's the idea behind this study. "Physicians and healthcare professionals have known this about pulses for a long time," Klein said, "but so far, it really hasn't turned into behavioral change for that individual patient yet." With the right advice and nutrition, people at higher risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes could see improvement in their health status. Physician Studies Impact of Pulses in Disease Prevention 40 | Pulse Research Report GROW HEALTH

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