Eating one serving of beans a day can help keep the high cholesterol levels away.

Canadian researchers have found that eating a serving of legumes a day can help lower LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, also known as the "bad" cholesterol and lower the risk of heart diseases. High cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular diseases.

Researchers looked at 26 U.S. and Canadian studies that included more than 1, 037 men and women who were middle-age. Results found that one daily serving of legumes (3/4 cup) was linked to reducing bad cholesterol levels by about five percent. In six weeks adults who had one serving of legumes a day dropped their LDL cholesterol by 0.17 points.

Dr. John Sievenpiper, of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said that five percent reduction in LDL cholesterol can lead to a five percent lower risk of heart disease.

"We have a lot of room in our diets for increasing our pulse intake to derive the cardiovascular benefits," Sievenpiper said. "Pulses already play a role in many traditional cuisines, including Mediterranean and South Asian. As an added bonus, they're inexpensive. Since many pulses are grown in North America, it's also an opportunity to buy and eat locally and support our farmers."

Legumes include foods such as "beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas. The efforts were found to be stronger in men than women, mainly because men tend to have worse eating habits and higher cholesterol levels than women.

On average only Americans currently eat 0.2 servings daily on average. Participants reported stomach issues such as bloating, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea - all as a result of eating legumes.

"It's time to spill the beans. By making a small dietary change, such as consuming one serving a day of beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas -- as most of the world does already -- we can make a modest risk reduction in our incidence of heart disease by lowering our 'bad cholesterol' LDL, especially in men," Dr. Robert Graham, an internist and natural remedy specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said.

The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.