Health functional compounds of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik): A review.

Lentil is a legume crop, and it has been used as food throughout the world. Population of the whole world is completely dependent upon pulses for their enormous beneficial properties. The current work is a comprehensive review of lentil composition, nutritional value and health benefits. Lentil forms the important constituent of dietary source of protein such as lectins, defensins and protease inhibitors, and also the complex carbohydrate fractions particularly the resistant starches, oligosaccharides, bioactive peptide, dietary fibres, minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, and non-nutritive bioactive phytochemicals. This review article also focuses on the importance of lentil in combating various human diseases. Various potential health benefits of lentil have been described such as anticarcinogenic, blood pressure lowering, hypocholesterolemic, and glycemic load lowering effects. Lentils contain high content of fibre and other phytochemicals that could improve glycemic response in diabetic patients, lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, and weight management. Lentils may have favourable effect to prophylaxis of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) prevalence. Consumption of increased lentil is considered as an important key in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]