Fava bean

Fava Bean (Vicia faba L.): A Comprehensive Reference

1. Identity and Botanical Classification

Botanical and Chemical Names

Accepted botanical name: Vicia faba L.
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Common synonyms: broad bean, faba bean, field bean, horse bean, bell bean, tick bean, Windsor bean, tic bean.

Vicia faba, also known as the broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, field bean, bell bean, or tic bean, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. In 1913, Marcus Guggenheim was the first to isolate L-dopa (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) from Vicia faba plants. The plant is also the namesake of the family Fabaceae, as the broad bean is a "typical member of, and lends its name to, the Fabaceae family."

Subspecies and Varieties

Three subspecies are recognized: V. faba var. faba, broad bean or Windsor bean, is a large-seeded form with one or two large pods; V. faba var. equina, field bean or horse bean, has more numerous pods and smaller seeds; and V. faba var. minuta, bell bean or tick bean, has the smallest seeds with numerous pods in the leaf axils. The common name of broad bean or Windsor bean is given to the largest-seeded cultivars, used for human consumption. The smaller-seeded cultivars, often referred to as 'horse bean' and 'field bean', are used either for animal feed or human food.

Origin and Distribution

The center of domestication for fava bean is the Middle East, with seed remains found in northern Israel, demonstrating that the plant was cultivated and that seeds were stored and consumed up to 11,000 years ago. Fava bean is now widely distributed around the world, with production in temperate and subtropical areas in addition to the high elevations in the tropics of the Old World and the New World, including South America and Mexico.

Common Forms and Preparations

Fava beans are consumed and commercially available in several forms:

• Fresh/green: Pods harvested before full maturity; seeds eaten raw or lightly cooked.
• Dried whole seeds: The most globally traded form; require soaking and prolonged cooking.
• Canned or jarred: Pre-cooked, ready-to-eat seeds preserved in water or brine.
• Split/dehulled: Seed coats removed, reducing cooking time and antinutrient content.
• Flour and protein concentrate/isolate: Ground or fractionated forms used in food manufacturing and sports nutrition.
• Seedlings/sprouts: Germinated fava beans; reported to have altered L-DOPA and antinutrient profiles relative to mature seed.
• Roasted snacks: Roasted fava beans are enjoyed as crunchy, protein-packed snacks in various cultures.

Processing of pulses (including faba beans) is necessary to reduce or eliminate antinutrient compounds. Conventional processing including soaking, dehulling, boiling, and pressure cooking as well as germination and fermentation reduce the levels of phytate, protease inhibitors, phenolics, condensed tannins, lectins, and saponins.

2. Traditional and Historical Use

Ancient Near East and Egypt

Fava beans are among the oldest domesticated legumes, cultivated since the Neolithic period, around 6,800–6,500 BCE. Archaeological discoveries in Israel confirm their ancient origins. The first bean seeds were discovered in a tomb of the 12th dynasty, and the bean is considered one of the most important types of legumes known by the Egyptians since the time of the first pharaonic ruling families. Bean seeds were also found in tombs in Sakkara and Kom Oshem from the Greco-Roman era, and these seeds are exhibited in the agricultural museum in Dokki, Cairo.

Ancient Greece and Rome

Fava beans held significant value in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, where they were consumed for their nutritional benefits and included in various traditions. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that Egyptians refused to cultivate beans at all, though this was untrue; beans were often used for sacrifices, and in later Rome, priests of Jupiter couldn't touch or even mention beans due to their association with death and decay. For Roman funerary feasts, or silicernium, certain ritual foods were served: eggs, lentils, poultry, and favas. In ancient Greece and Rome, beans were used in voting; a white bean was used to cast a yes vote, and a black bean for no. Even today, the word koukia (κουκιά) is used unofficially, referring to votes.

Ancients believed that the plant's roots led straight to Hades — to the underworld, reaching and communicating with the souls of the dead. Pythagoras and his followers, who abstained from eating meat and fish, included fava beans in their forbidden foods because they believed that the souls of men are transformed into beans after death. Due to their black-spotted flowers and hollow stems, some believers thought the plants connected earth and Hades, providing ladders for human souls.

In ancient Rome, fava beans appeared in the cookbook attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius. Recipes from this cookbook describe fava beans prepared with a sauce made with ginger — a spice widely used in ancient Rome — as well as pepper, lovage, and other aromatics.

Medieval Europe and Beyond

Fava beans were staple foods in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, offering an affordable protein source long before New World beans arrived in Europe. Until the 1500s, "bean" often meant "fava bean" in many European contexts. In China, fava beans have been an important food since the Zhou Dynasty, while Japan cherishes these beans as 'soramame.'

Traditional Culinary-Medicinal Use

Early sacred texts in Indian literature (second millennium BCE) refer to 'trembling' individuals who were prescribed a plant from the Fabaceae family to treat the condition — a reference frequently cited in connection with what is now recognized as Parkinson's disease. In the Mediterranean and Middle East, fava beans have been used for millennia as a protein-dense staple food, particularly among poorer populations. Ful medames (also spelled foul medames) is a traditional Egyptian dish that consists of cooked fava beans seasoned with various spices and ingredients. The dish is typically served as a breakfast food and is often accompanied by pita bread, boiled eggs, vegetables, and other toppings. Fava beans play a central role in ful mudammas, Egypt's national dish.

For Catholics, fava beans are part of the feast of St. Joseph and the tradition of the Altar or Table, for March 19. The blessed dried beans are distributed on the altars along with a piece of blessed bread. When dried, roasted, and blessed, they become the popular 'lucky bean.'

3. Key Constituents and Active Compounds

Macronutrient Composition

Among legumes, faba bean (Vicia faba L.), also known as broad bean, stands out as an underutilized but highly nutritious pulse crop. Cultivated globally and ranked as the third most important grain legume, faba bean offers significant dietary advantages.

• Protein: Its seeds are rich in protein, ranging from 20% to 41% depending on variety, growth conditions, and processing form. The faba bean has a higher protein content than most pulses, including peas, chickpeas, lentils, and beans.
• Carbohydrates: Faba beans are a valuable source of complex carbohydrates, comprising 51%–68% of the seed weight, with starch being the predominant component (41%–58%). These carbohydrates provide a slow-release energy source.
• Dietary fibre: The dietary fibre content is notable, with both soluble and insoluble fractions contributing to total fibre levels of up to 25%. Among legume flours, faba bean flour has been reported to have one of the highest dietary fibre contents.
• Fat: The faba bean is relatively low in lipids, with total fat content typically less than 2% of seed weight. Its lipid profile is composed mainly of unsaturated fatty acids, which are known to support cardiovascular health.

Minerals and Vitamins

Faba bean is a dense source of both macro- and micronutrients. It contains substantial levels of potassium (up to 1,062 mg/100 g), magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and iron. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals and is low in fat. Fava beans are also notably rich in folate (vitamin B9), a micronutrient critical to DNA synthesis and one-carbon metabolism.

L-DOPA (Levodopa)

Significant quantities of 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA or levodopa) are present in the plant structures of Vicia faba, a compound utilized in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The entire plant, including the leaves, stalks, pods, and beans, is a source of L-dopa. Approximately 100 g of fresh or green broad beans may contain 50 to 100 mg of L-dopa. L-DOPA content varies considerably by variety, ripeness, plant part, and preparation method.

Vicine and Convicine

Vicia faba has high concentrations of two β-glucosides, vicine and convicine, up to 2% in dry weight. These chemicals are metabolized to divicine and isouramil, which are potent oxidizing agents. These compounds are discussed further in the safety section below.

Polyphenols and Flavonoids

Recent metabolomic approaches have enabled the comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of Vicia faba L. The plant contains compounds of the chemical classes of flavonoids, chalcones, stilbenes, jasmonates, alkaloids, and amino acids. In addition to macronutritional components, faba beans contain several other bioactive secondary metabolites, particularly polyphenols and phytosterols, which contribute to their health benefits. Because of these broad classes of metabolites, faba beans exhibit a variety of bioactivities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer characteristics.

Bioactive Peptides

Faba bean peptides released after gastrointestinal digestion have shown antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-inflammatory effects, indicating a strong potential for this legume crop to be used as a functional food to help face the increasing incidences of non-communicable diseases. SDS-PAGE analysis has revealed bioaccessible low-molecular-weight peptides (<15 kDa), and in silico analysis of bioactive peptides of legumin and vicilin has presented high occurrence frequencies of bioactivities, including as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and dipeptidyl peptidase III/IV inhibitor peptides.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

The faba bean also contains γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter amino acid that has blood pressure-lowering effects.

Tyramine

Fava beans (Vicia faba, aka broad beans) have tyramine at about 10 mg/kg, and also contain L-DOPA, but at low concentrations. The tyramine content, while present, is concentrated primarily in the pods; the interaction with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) is discussed in the safety section.

Other Antinutritional Factors

These include phytates, vicine, convicine, saponins, lectins, oligosaccharides (raffinose, stachyose), condensed tannins, and trypsin inhibitors and protease inhibitors. Trypsin inhibitors in faba bean are comparatively lower than other legume crops such as soybean, chickpea, and lentil.

4. Mechanisms of Action

L-DOPA and the Dopaminergic Pathway

Fava beans contain L-DOPA, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and convert to dopamine, potentially aiding Parkinson's disease and mood disorders. Broad beans are well-known as a natural source of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa), a precursor of dopamine. Since Parkinson's disease arises in patients unable to synthesize dopamine, there is great potential interest in the use of fava beans in the management of Parkinson's disease.

Antihypertensive Mechanisms

Fava bean bioactive peptides have been identified as potential ACE inhibitors — a mechanism shared with pharmaceutical antihypertensive drugs. GABA, present in fava bean, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter amino acid that has blood pressure-lowering effects. Additionally, the high potassium and low sodium content of fava beans may contribute to blood pressure regulation through electrolyte balance.

Glycaemic and Metabolic Mechanisms

In the case of the raw faba bean, rapidly digestible starch accounts for 15.3%, slowly digestible for 34.5%, and resistant starch for 46.7%. Both slowly digestible and resistant starch help maintain the satiety feeling longer and contribute to a low glycemic index by flattening the blood glucose peak following food intake, thereby having a preventive effect against type II diabetes.

Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Legumes are associated with gut health benefits, and increasing evidence indicates that their consumption reduces the risk of chronic diseases that include autoimmunity. Flavonoids and other polyphenols in fava bean are proposed to exert antioxidant effects through free radical scavenging, while some compounds have been studied for modulation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which plays a role in immune tolerance. Most analyzed compounds showed high affinity for the AhR even after their metabolism, indicating that some AhR modulators remain active despite several steps in their biotransformation. Results suggest that polyphenols also lead to metabolites that induce the AhR pathway.

Vicine/Convicine Oxidative Mechanism (Adverse)

In the intestine, vicine and convicine are converted into their respective aglycones, divicine and isouramil. Their action is to increase the production of free radicals that eventually lead to the oxidation of glutathione. The deficiency of G6PD results in a deficiency of NADPH. The deficiency of G6PD results in a deficiency of NADPH, whose major task is to reduce oxidized glutathione, especially in red blood cells, which is a strong oxidizing agent and as such can lead to the onset of a hemolytic crisis.

5. Scientific Evidence by Health Area

5.1 Parkinson's Disease and Neurological Function

This is the area with the most specific clinical evidence for fava bean. In recent years, patients have used fava beans to treat Parkinson's symptoms, because the beans contain appreciable amounts of levodopa and have been thought to be a safe adjunctive therapy.

Key clinical study (Rabey et al., 1992 / PubMed 8420210): In 1913, Guggenheim identified L-DOPA in the seedlings, pods, and beans of the broad bean, Vicia faba. Since then, anecdotal cases of symptomatic improvement after Vicia faba consumption have been described in patients with PD. In the published study, five healthy volunteers and six PD patients (mean age 63.5 years; mean disease duration, 13 years; stage III, Hoehn–Yahr scale) ate 250 g cooked Vicia faba after 12 hours off medication. Blood samples for L-DOPA measurements (by HPLC-ED) were obtained before eating and every 30 minutes for 4 hours. During this period, a substantial clinical improvement was noted and three patients also showed severe dyskinesias.

Scientists know that broad beans (Vicia faba) contain enough L-DOPA to be pharmacologically active on patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). It has been shown that these beans increase plasma levels of L-DOPA and improve motor function. Clinical reports and pharmacodynamic studies have shown that other components in broad beans could also contribute to PD treatment, and eating broad beans can ease the motor symptoms between doses of levodopa.

Evidence strength: Evidence is limited to small case series and short-term pharmacodynamic studies. Authors have recommended the incorporation of fava beans into dietary plans to manage Parkinson's disease, especially in patients with mild symptoms. However, large randomized controlled trials are lacking, and the variability in L-DOPA content among bean lots is a significant practical limitation. Variability in natural products like fava beans limits their reliability compared to commercial medications. The risk of dyskinesias (which occurred in three of six patients in the Rabey study) is a clinically important adverse outcome.

5.2 Cardiovascular Health

Evidence for cardiovascular benefit derives primarily from observational data on broader legume consumption, and mechanistic in vitro studies on fava-bean-derived peptides, rather than from fava-bean-specific RCTs.

Legume consumption ≥4 times/week compared with <1 time/week was associated with a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) (adjusted risk ratio 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68–0.90) and an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (adjusted RR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.80–0.98). Lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, and a variety of dry beans, including pinto, kidney, navy, and fava beans, are the most common edible pulses.

Studies evaluating the effect of legume consumption on cholesterol have focused on soybeans; however non-soy legumes, such as a variety of beans, peas, and some seeds, are commonly consumed in Western countries. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluated the effects of non-soy legume consumption on blood lipids. Among the non-soy legumes included in this meta-analysis, one-half cup of cooked beans or peas can provide a range of dietary fibre from 4.6 g in fava beans up to 9.6 g fibre in navy beans.

Evidence strength: The cardiovascular benefits of fava bean specifically (as opposed to legumes generally) are not directly established in dedicated human trials. Evidence is largely epidemiological (observational cohort studies) and mechanistic (in vitro peptide studies), which is considered preliminary.

5.3 Blood Glucose Regulation and Diabetes

Faba beans have a low glycemic index, which can help manage blood sugar levels and lower the risk of developing diabetes. The high content of resistant starch and dietary fibre is proposed as the primary mechanism.

Faba bean peptides released after gastrointestinal digestion have shown antidiabetic effects, including inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV), an enzyme targeted by a major class of type 2 diabetes medications. However, the clinical evidence for such peptide-derived effects specifically from fava bean consumption in human subjects remains preliminary and largely in vitro.

Evidence strength: Preliminary; predominantly in vitro and animal studies. Human RCT evidence is limited and mostly derived from broader legume-diet trials, not fava-bean-specific interventions.

5.4 Protein Quality and Muscle Protein Synthesis

A parallel, double-blind, randomised controlled trial evaluated the effect of feeding fava bean protein (FBP) on resting and post-exercise myofibrillar fractional synthetic rate (myoFSR). Sixteen young, healthy recreationally active adults (mean age 25 years) ingested 0.33 g·kg⁻¹ FBP or a negative control (EAA-free mixture), immediately after a bout of unilateral knee-extensor resistance exercise. This study represents one of the few RCTs conducted specifically with fava bean protein in humans.

Evidence strength: Emerging; single RCT with a small sample. Further replication is needed before conclusions can be drawn.

5.5 Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Effects

Faba beans contain several bioactive secondary metabolites, particularly polyphenols and phytosterols, which contribute to their health benefits. Because of these broad classes of metabolites, faba beans exhibit a variety of bioactivities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer characteristics.

Studies on bioactive components from different parts of broad beans reported that the contents of flavonoids, phenolic acids and other compounds in broad bean seeds increased after germination, and this increase was verified to be positively correlated with many biological activities.

Evidence strength: Predominantly in vitro. Mechanistic data on specific polyphenols and peptides are promising, but controlled human intervention trials specifically demonstrating anti-inflammatory outcomes from fava bean consumption are not yet established.

5.6 Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) Modulation and Autoimmunity

Recent metabolomic approaches have enabled the comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of Vicia faba L. This article reviewed whether the phytocompounds in broad beans might modulate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which plays an essential role in autoantigen tolerance as a potential dietary strategy for autoimmune disease management. Wyerone acid, wyerone epoxide, jasmonic acid, stizolamine, vicine, and convicine and their metabolite derivatives are reported for the first time as potential AhR ligands. Overall, chronic consumption of phytochemicals in Vicia faba L. and their gut biotransformation may protect against autoimmune disease pathogenesis by AhR modulation.

Evidence strength: Highly preliminary. This is an in silico (computational docking) study only, with no human clinical data.

6. Body Systems and Health Areas

• Central nervous system / neurological: Via L-DOPA as dopamine precursor; relevance to Parkinson's disease and potentially mood disorders (depression, ADHD).
• Cardiovascular system: Via soluble fibre, ACE-inhibitory peptides, GABA, potassium, and polyphenols; associations with blood pressure and lipid management.
• Metabolic/endocrine: Low glycemic index, resistant starch and dietary fibre; potential utility in blood glucose management.
• Musculoskeletal: High-quality plant protein with potential utility in supporting muscle protein synthesis.
• Gastrointestinal: Dietary fibre supporting gut microbiome diversity and bowel regularity; oligosaccharides may cause flatulence in some individuals.
• Haematological (adverse): In individuals with G6PD deficiency, vicine and convicine can precipitate acute haemolytic anaemia (favism).
• Immune / autoimmune: Preliminary research on AhR modulation by phytocompounds; no clinical data.

7. Dosage Forms and Dosages Reported in Studies

There is no established standard therapeutic dose for fava bean as a dietary supplement. The following doses appear in the cited scientific literature:

• Parkinson's disease (clinical study): Five healthy volunteers and six PD patients ate 250 g cooked Vicia faba after 12 hours off medication; plasma L-DOPA concentrations rose and substantial clinical improvement was noted within 4 hours.
• L-DOPA content reference dose: Approximately 100 g of fresh or green broad beans may contain 50 to 100 mg of L-dopa.
• Muscle protein synthesis (RCT): Sixteen young adults ingested 0.33 g·kg⁻¹ fava bean protein (FBP) immediately after resistance exercise.
• Cardiovascular/lipid meta-analysis reference quantity: One-half cup of cooked fava beans provides approximately 4.6 g of dietary fibre.

It must be emphasised that L-DOPA content in fava beans varies substantially by cultivar, plant part, ripeness, and preparation method, making reliable dosing from food sources difficult to standardise.

8. Safety Considerations and Drug Interactions

8.1 Favism and G6PD Deficiency

Favism is an acute hemolytic syndrome that occurs in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency following the ingestion of fava beans. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common hereditary enzyme defect in humans, caused by a mutation in the X-linked gene encoding G6PD.

On ingestion of faba bean (Vicia faba L.), vicine and convicine are hydrolyzed by β-glucosidase to divicine and isouramil, which can cause acute hemolytic anemia in patients with G6PD deficiency. The most favored hypothesis is that favism is caused by two β-glycosides, vicine and convicine, that contain the pyrimidines divicine and isouramil. These produce free radicals during auto-oxidation, leading to hemolysis in people with G6PD deficiency. The blood smear shows polychromasia, anisocytosis, and poikilocytosis, which are all features of acute oxidant-induced hemolysis.

This condition accelerates the destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia), resulting in symptoms such as jaundice, dark urine, and enlarged spleen. In severe cases, one's kidneys could be damaged, and it may even become life-threatening.

There is wide inter- and intra-individual variability in the development of hemolytic crisis, and several factors influence it: quantity, quality, ripeness of fava beans, and age of onset. Raw fava beans are more likely to induce the crisis than cooked, frozen, or canned ones; in addition, the amount of glucosides is directly proportional to degree of ripeness, so the more unripe the fava beans, the less the amount of vicine and convicine, and thus the lower the risk of crisis onset.

These compounds are relatively heat stable and are not removed by cooking. However, cooking does appear to reduce (though not eliminate) their biological activity.

Favism is more common and more life-threatening in children (usually boys) than in adults; however, once the attack is over, a full recovery is usually made.

In persons with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, these compounds cause hemolysis by disrupting the red cell wall. Many cases of hemolysis and subsequent hyperbilirubinemia have been reported in breastfed infants after maternal fava bean intake. Most of the cases have been reported from around the Mediterranean and Middle East or in infants whose heritage was from this region.

8.2 Interaction with Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)

Tyramine-rich foods — such as fava beans or broad beans — can cause fatal hypertensive crises when ingested by persons taking monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressants.

The mechanism involves inhibition of MAO-A in the gut wall: once ingested, tyramine is normally metabolized by MAO in the liver and gut wall so that very little enters the systemic circulation. However, when MAO is inhibited, large quantities can reach the circulation and the norepinephrine released can cause a hypertensive crisis.

Importantly, levodopa, rather than tyramine, may be responsible for the hypertensive risk that can occur when broad (fava) bean pods are ingested in those taking an MAOI. This dual mechanism — involving both tyramine and L-DOPA — makes fava bean pods particularly concerning for individuals on MAOI therapy.

Patients taking MAOIs for depression must completely avoid aged cheeses, concentrated yeast extracts (like Marmite), sauerkraut, broad bean pods (fava beans), and any aged, fermented, cured, smoked, or pickled meats, as these contain dangerously high tyramine levels that can trigger life-threatening hypertensive crises.

8.3 Interaction with Conventional Levodopa Therapy

For individuals already taking pharmaceutical levodopa for Parkinson's disease, consuming fava beans introduces an additive and unpredictable source of levodopa. It has been shown that broad beans increase plasma levels of L-DOPA and can lead to intense on-time dyskinesias. The literature also describes a case of neuroleptic malignant-like syndrome (NMLS) precipitated by abrupt cessation of fava bean ingestion. The syndrome is characterized by fever, rigidity, autonomic instability, elevated creatine phosphokinase levels, and altered level of consciousness, which is usually precipitated by levodopa withdrawal.

8.4 Antinutrients and Nutrient Bioavailability

The nutrient composition of faba bean may depend on variety; however, the bioavailability of the nutrients in the bean is reduced by the presence of inherent antinutritional factors such as trypsin inhibitors, hemagglutinin, phytic acid, vicine, convicine, and tannins. The digestibility of legume-based proteins is correlated with the presence of protease inhibitors, which are known to reduce the digestibility of proteins thereby leading to cause pancreatic hypertrophy.

Germination significantly reduces levels of α-galactosides and phytates by up to 94% and 45%, respectively. Germination can drastically lower phytic acid and tannin levels over periods of 12–72 hours, typically at 25°C. During germination, phytase activity releases phosphorus, enhancing its bioavailability along with calcium, zinc, and iron.

8.5 Gastrointestinal Effects

The raffinose-family oligosaccharides (RFOs) present in fava beans — raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose — are not digestible by human intestinal enzymes and undergo fermentation by colonic bacteria, which can result in flatulence and abdominal discomfort. Thermal treatments (cooking, autoclaving, extrusion, microwaving, high-pressure processing, irradiation) and non-thermal treatments (soaking, germination, extraction, fermentation, and enzymatic treatment) are identified as methods to reduce the levels of antinutrients in faba bean seeds.

8.6 Breastfeeding Caution

In persons with G6PD deficiency, divicine and isouramil cause hemolysis by disrupting the red cell wall. Many cases of hemolysis and subsequent hyperbilirubinemia have been reported in breastfed infants after maternal fava bean intake. G6PD-deficient breastfeeding mothers are advised to avoid fava bean consumption.

References

• USDA NRCS Plant Guide: Fava Bean (Vicia faba L.)
• PMC: Impact of Planting Date on Nutritional Composition of Faba Bean Seeds Across Varieties
• PubMed (Rabey et al., 1993): Broad bean (Vicia faba) consumption and Parkinson's disease
• Ramírez-Moreno et al. (2015): Broad bean consumption and Parkinson's disease — Neurología (English Edition)
• ResearchGate: Broad bean — A natural source of L-dopa — Prolongs "on" periods in Parkinson's disease
• ResearchGate: Fava beans and Parkinson's disease — useful 'natural supplement' or useless risk?
• Psychiatric Times: Fava Beans, Dopamine, Depression, and Parkinson Disease
• PubMed: Phytochemicals From Vicia faba Beans as Ligands of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor
• PMC: Favism: A Case Report
• PMC: Favism — Clinical Features at Different Ages
• NIH/NCBI LactMed: Fava Beans
• Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology: Molecular Mechanisms, Pathophysiology and Laboratory Investigations of Favism
• Singapore Food Agency: The Arch Enemy of G6PD-Deficient Individuals — Fava Beans
• American Society of Hematology — The Hematologist: Deconstructing the Threat of the Fava Bean
• PMC: Ex Vivo Study of Laban's Role in Decreasing Hemolysis Crisis in G6PD-Deficient Patients
• PMC: Consumption of Plant Seeds and Cardiovascular Health — Epidemiologic and Clinical Trial Evidence
• PMC: Non-Soy Legume Consumption Lowers Cholesterol Levels — A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
• PMC: Faba Bean — An Untapped Source of Quality Plant Proteins and Bioactives
• PMC: The Effect of Fava Bean Protein Ingestion on Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis — A Randomised Control Trial
• PMC: Nutritional Quality of Protein Flours of Fava Bean and In Vitro Digestibility and Bioaccessibility
• PMC: Nutrient Levels, Bioactive Metabolite Contents, and Antioxidant Capacities of Faba Beans as Affected by Dehulling
• MDPI Molecules: Faba Bean Processing — Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing on Chemical, Antinutritional Factors, and Pharmacological Properties
• Legume Science (Dhull et al., 2022): A Review of Nutritional Profile and Processing of Faba Bean
• ScienceDirect Food Chemistry: Enhancing the Nutritional Value of Fava Beans — Challenges and Emerging Strategies
• Taylor & Francis: Influence of Genetic Diversity and Environmental Factors on Protein Composition and Anti-Nutrient Components in Faba Bean
• Journal of Clinical Psychiatry: Dietary Restrictions and Drug Interactions With Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors — An Update
• PsychoTropical Commentaries: A Review Concerning Dietary Tyramine and Drug Interactions (2016)
• Wikipedia: Vicia faba