Fava beans, also known as broad beans, horse beans, or field beans, are a type of vegetable typically available in late spring and early summer. They can serve as a staple food or a side dish and are enjoyed in various culinary preparations, such as stir-fries like Five-Spice Fava Beans, Spicy Beans, Odd-Flavored Beans, Deep-Fried Fava Beans, and Fava Bean Chili Sauce.
However, consuming fava beans can potentially trigger "favism" in a certain group of people!
What Nutritional Benefits Do Fava Beans Offer?
Fava beans are a common legume with nutritional properties similar to other beans. They are generally characterized by high protein content and dietary fiber, while being low in fat.
Protein: Broad beans are rich in protein, containing up to around 30%, making them a great protein source for vegetarians.
Dietary Fiber: Broad beans are abundant in dietary fiber, which promotes digestive health, prevents constipation, and helps maintain a feeling of fullness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Broad beans are packed with various vitamins and minerals, including folate, potassium, magnesium, and more.
Antioxidants: Broad beans are rich in antioxidants, such as polyphenols, which help reduce damage from free radicals in the body.
Low Fat: Broad beans have low fat content, making them suitable for individuals who need to control their fat intake.
Therefore, as a legume rich in protein, dietary fiber, and low in fat, broad beans offer excellent nutritional value. Whether eaten fresh as a vegetable or prepared as snacks like roasted broad beans or flavored beans, they are a great choice.
However, despite their benefits, some people should be cautious about eating broad beans due to favism.
Broad Beans: Wikipedia
What is Favism?
Favism, also known as Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, is a genetic disorder, most commonly observed in boys under 10 years old.
G6PD is an important enzyme responsible for maintaining the antioxidant capacity within red blood cells, protecting them from oxidative damage. However, individuals lacking this enzyme, if they consume broad beans, can experience red blood cell rupture, leading to hemolytic anemia.
Common symptoms of Favism include:
Focus on Boys with Favism
Global data indicates approximately 400 million people suffer from Favism, with higher prevalence in countries along the Mediterranean coast, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In China, the prevalence of Favism is about 5.5%, with higher rates in the south than in the north, particularly in Guangdong, Yunnan, and Sichuan.
Favism exhibits a clear familial inheritance pattern, with about 41.3% of patients having a family history of the condition. Moreover, the incidence of this disease in males is significantly higher than in females, with around 90% occurring in males, two-thirds of whom are under the age of three. Why is this the case?
This is because the cause of Favism is a G-6-PD defect, which is an X-linked incomplete dominant genetic disorder.
The sex chromosomes in males consist of one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, with the X chromosome inherited from the mother. If the mother happens to carry the pathogenic gene on this chromosome, then the boy may develop Favism. In other words, boys born to mothers with Favism have a 50% chance of being patients and a 50% chance of being healthy.
On the other hand, girls have a 50% chance of being healthy and a 50% chance of being carriers. Carriers almost never develop symptoms or exhibit very mild ones, which is why the majority of Favism patients are concentrated in boys.
Therefore, if there are boys in the family, it's essential to pay close attention to this condition.
Fava Beans: Wikipedia
"Clinical Bean Disease": Prevention is Key
Current research suggests that there's no specific treatment for Clinical Bean Disease; effective prevention is the only way to eliminate its occurrence.
As this condition has a hereditary component, parents need to be especially vigilant if one of them has Clinical Bean Disease. When introducing fava beans to a baby for the first time, parents should pay close attention to any adverse reactions. If the child experiences general discomfort, fatigue, weakness, or darker urine after consuming fava beans, prompt medical attention is necessary.
Once diagnosed with Clinical Bean Disease, it persists for life without becoming milder or disappearing, requiring special attention.
Consumption of fava beans and fava bean products is the primary trigger for this disease, accounting for about 80% of cases.
Therefore, if a child is diagnosed with Clinical Bean Disease, they should avoid consuming fava beans and related products, including bean paste, orchid beans, and peculiar flavored beans. (Also, as we mentioned earlier, the Wuchang bream: this fish is most suitable for hot pot, surprisingly because it "has a disease"! But there is one type of person who must not eat it...) When purchasing other foods, it's crucial to check the ingredient list for the presence of fava beans.
There are various ways fava beans can be ingested, including raw or cooked, fresh or dried beans, and fava bean products. Even breast milk after consuming fava beans can cause illness in infants. Therefore, if a baby has Clinical Bean Disease, mothers should also avoid consuming fava beans and products during breastfeeding.
Moreover, Clinical Bean Disease may not necessarily result from ingesting fava beans; some individuals may even fall ill from inhaling the fragrance of fava beans or coming into contact with fava bean pollen. Therefore, during fava bean flowering, fruiting, or harvesting seasons, it's advisable to avoid taking children to fava bean fields.
Furthermore, the naphthalene component in mothballs can also cause hemolysis, so it's best to avoid using mothballs at home. If mothballs are used for storing clothes, it's advisable to air them out in a well-ventilated area before wearing to dissipate the naphthalene.
If Clinical Bean Disease occurs, seek prompt treatment at a reputable hospital, and be sure to inform the doctor that the child is a Clinical Bean Disease patient to avoid delaying treatment.
References
[1] Liu, B., Yu, X., Zhao, Z., et al. (2020). Analysis of Nutritional Ingredients of Seven Kinds of Mixed Beans and Nutritional Evaluation. Anhui Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(04), 270-276. DOI:10.19837/j.cnki.ahyf.2020.04.007.
[2] Dhull, S. B., Kidwai, M. K., Noor, R., Chawla, P., & Rose, P. K. (2022). A review of nutritional profile and processing of faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Legume Science, 4(3), e129. https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.129
[3] Shi, M. (2023). Detection of G6PD Gene Mutation and X Chromosome Inactivation Shift in a Clinical Bean Disease Genetic Family. Hubei University of Medicine. DOI:10.27913/d.cnki.ghyby.2023.000206.
[4] Tao, Y. (1994). Research Status and Prospect of G6PD Deficiency in Sichuan Province. Sichuan Medical Journal, (01), 39-41. DOI:10.16252/j.cnki.issn1004-0501-1994.01.022.
[5] Yu, C. (2015). Clinical Analysis of 355 Cases of G-6-PD Deficiency in Children. Chongqing Medical University.
[6] Li, X., Yi, Y., Li, M., et al. (2018). Research Progress on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Nursing of Clinical Bean Disease. General Nursing, 16 (32), 3985-3987.
Production Credits
Author: Ruan Guangfeng, Director of Science and Technology Department, Science Communication Center for Food and Nutrition Information
Reviewer: Zhang Yu, Researcher, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, MD
Planner: Zhong Yanping
Editor: Zhong Yanping
Proofreader: Xu Lai, Lin Lin
