Can Increasing Whole and Fractioned Yellow Pea Flour Consumption in Canada Reduce Healthcare Expenditures?

Pulse crops are high in protein, fibre, antioxidants, and relatively low in carbohydrates and fat, resulting in significant reduction of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. As such, Health Canada recommends 2-3 servings (one serving = ¼ cup of cooked legumes, 170 ml) per day of protein products for the adult population.  Whole and fractionated yellow pea flours, in particular, also reduce fasting insulin and insulin resistance in hypercholesterolemic and overweight humans. Increasing yellow pea flour consumption could result in significant reductions in T2D and CHD, resulting in considerable monetary savings to Canada’s single-payer healthcare system. An economic evaluation of the potential health benefits from foods containing yellow pea flour could have significant public policy implications, as increased uptake of these products could lead to significant direct healthcare savings within Canada’s publicly-funded health care system. This nutrition economics research revealed opportunities for significant savings in T2D and CHD costs in Canada following recommended intakes of dietary pulses. Specifically, if 5% to 50% of the adult populations in Canada were to increase their daily servings of pulses, conservative reductions in T2D and CHD healthcare and related costs are predicted to reach anywhere between CAD$30 and $300 million annually.