Legumes: Beans, Lentils & Chickpeas
Beans, lentils and chickpeas as foods: what trials and cohort studies found for LDL cholesterol, heart disease and blood sugar, plus the kidney bean cooking warning.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Natural products can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read functional food safety before you use anything on this page.
Food-safety point first: raw or insufficiently cooked red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) contain a lectin called phytohaemagglutinin that can cause acute poisoning, with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea usually starting 1 to 3 hours after eating. [1] If you or a child become unwell after eating beans, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US) or 911 for an emergency; see poisoning: what to do first.
Legumes are the edible seeds of plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). [2] Dried legumes used as food, called pulses, include beans, lentils, chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) and peas. Soy is a legume too and has its own page: soy foods. This page is about whole legumes as food, not protein powders made from them.
Traditional use
Traditional uses of legumes are not described in the sources we read for this page, so we do not describe them.What the research shows
| Question | What the source found | Strength of evidence | Study type and population |
|---|---|---|---|
| LDL cholesterol | A meta-analysis of 26 randomized trials (1,037 people) found diets emphasizing pulses, at a median of 130 g a day (about one serving), lowered LDL by 0.17 mmol/L compared with similar diets without pulses. Apolipoprotein B and non-HDL cholesterol did not change significantly. [3] | Promising but limited; the authors asked for longer, better trials | Randomized trials of at least 3 weeks [3] |
| Heart disease risk | A meta-analysis of 26 observational studies found the highest legume intake was linked to lower cardiovascular disease (RR 0.94) and coronary heart disease (RR 0.90) but not stroke (RR 1.00). The coronary benefit rose up to about 400 g a week, then leveled off. [4] | Mixed (observational association) | Mostly cohort studies [4] |
| Longer-term blood sugar | A meta-analysis of 41 trials found pulses alone lowered fasting blood glucose and insulin, and pulses in low-glycemic-index diets lowered longer-term markers of blood sugar (HbA1c or fructosamine), but differences between trials were high and unexplained. [5] | Promising but limited | Adults with and without diabetes [5] |
| Blood sugar after a meal (chickpeas) | In 12 studies with 182 mostly healthy people, chickpeas lowered the post-meal blood glucose response compared with potatoes and wheat. [6] | Promising but limited; small | Healthy or normoglycemic adults [6] |
An observational link is not proof that legumes cause the difference, and a result for cooked whole legumes does not transfer to extracts or protein isolates. A separate meta-analysis of extracted pulse proteins exists and is a different product. For goal-level summaries see foods for cholesterol and heart health and foods and blood sugar.
Proper evidence not found: we found no source we read showing that eating legumes treats diabetes or high cholesterol in a person. Diet changes belong in a plan with your clinician.
Gas and digestion
Authors of a lentil trial noted that perceived gastrointestinal effects "may deter inclusion of dietary pulses in the diet." [7] In that 8-week trial of 30 adults at risk of diabetes, most participants (87.4%) reported no to mild gastrointestinal symptoms. [7] People with irritable bowel or a sensitive gut may differ; ask a clinician. See foods for gut health and bloating and resistant starch foods.Related
Resistant starch foods, oats, and fiber: official intake amounts.Frequently asked questions
Do beans lower cholesterol?
A meta-analysis of randomized trials found diets emphasizing pulses lowered LDL by 0.17 mmol/L compared with similar diets without them. [3]
How many beans should I eat?
We give no personal amount. Trials used a median of 130 g a day of pulses, and a cohort meta-analysis saw a coronary heart disease association up to about 400 g a week. [3] [4] Ask a dietitian about your own needs.
Are canned beans or dried beans safer?
Proper evidence not found in the sources we read. The documented poisoning risk is from raw or undercooked red kidney beans. [1]
Do legumes cause gas?
Some people report gut symptoms from pulses; in an 8-week lentil trial most people reported none to mild symptoms. [7]
Do chickpeas help blood sugar?
Chickpeas lowered the post-meal blood glucose response compared with potatoes and wheat in a small meta-analysis of healthy adults. [6] Proper evidence for people with diabetes was not found in that review.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Safety and individual considerations
- Undercooked kidney beans. A French outbreak affected 200 of 1,700 diners when undercooked raw kidney beans in a chili dish still contained phytohaemagglutinin. [8] A case report describes an 8-year-old who needed resuscitation and intensive fluids after a home-cooked kidney bean dish, and states no specific antidote exists. [1] For cooking and soaking safety points see soaking, sprouting and cooking beans and grains. We do not give cooking times here because we did not read an authoritative source for them.
- Allergy. Allergy to legumes is not described in the legume sources we read. See food allergy basics and emergency signs.
- Kidney disease and potassium, medicines, pregnancy, children: not described in the legume sources we read. See foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates and ask a clinician.
References
- Severe red kidney beans toxicity in an 8-year-old girl: a rare case of hypovolemic shock and prerenal acute kidney injury. Int J Emerg Med 2026. PMID 41714947. Read 2026-10-23.
- GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, species match for Avena sativa, Hordeum vulgare, Phaseolus vulgaris, Cicer arietinum, Linum usitatissimum and Salvia hispanica. Queried through the GBIF API 2026-10-23.
- Effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. CMAJ 2014. PMID 24710915. Read 2026-10-23.
- Mendes V et al. Intake of legumes and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2023. PMID 36411221. Read 2026-10-23.
- Effect of non-oil-seed pulses on glycaemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled experimental trials in people with and without diabetes. Diabetologia 2009. PMID 19526214. Read 2026-10-23.
- Nam T et al. Effectiveness of Chickpeas on Blood Sugar: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients 2023. PMID 37960209. Read 2026-10-23.
- Eight weeks of lentil consumption attenuates insulin resistance progression without increased gastrointestinal symptom severity: a randomized clinical trial. Nutr Res 2022. PMID 36122501. Read 2026-10-23.
- From Foodborne Disease Outbreak (FBDO) to Investigation: The Plant Toxin Trap, Brittany, France, 2018. Toxins 2023. PMID 37505726. Read 2026-10-23.