This kind of bean is rich in protein and low in fat, which is perfect to eat in spring. However, there is a group of people who may be fatal if they eat it, so be careful!

Broad beans, also known as Luohan beans, Hu beans, orchid beans, etc., are a kind of vegetable in late spring and early summer. It can be used as a staple food, as well as a side dish. The tender beans can also be fried as vegetables. Spiced broad beans, spicy beans, strange-tasting beans, fried broad beans and broad bean chili sauce are all people's favorite foods.

However, there is a group of people who may develop "favism" after eating broad beans!

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What nutrients do broad beans contain?

Broad beans are a common legume food. Similar to other legumes, their overall characteristics are high protein and high dietary fiber, but they are also low in fat.

Protein: Broad beans are rich in protein, up to about 30%. For vegetarians, broad beans are actually a good protein supplement.

Dietary fiber: Broad beans are rich in dietary fiber, which helps promote digestive health, prevent constipation and maintain a feeling of fullness.

Vitamins and minerals: Broad beans are rich in various vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, potassium, magnesium, etc.

Antioxidants: Broad beans are rich in antioxidants, such as polyphenols, which help reduce the damage of free radicals to the body.

Low fat: Broad beans have a low fat content and are suitable for people who need to control their fat intake.

Therefore, as a bean that is rich in protein, dietary fiber and low in fat, the nutritional value of broad beans is excellent. Whether eating fresh beans as vegetables, or using dried beans to make spiced broad beans or strange-flavored beans, they are all good choices.

However, although broad beans are good, some people cannot eat them and have to worry about favism!

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What is favism?

Favism, also known as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, is a hereditary disease that is most common in boys under the age of 10.

G6PD is an important enzyme responsible for maintaining the antioxidant capacity in red blood cells and protecting them from oxidative damage. However, if people who lack this enzyme eat broad beans, it will cause red blood cells to rupture, thus causing hemolytic anemia.

Common symptoms of favism include:

Hemolysis: After eating broad beans or related foods, red blood cells will suffer oxidative damage in the body, leading to hemolysis, that is, the red blood cells rupture and release hemoglobin.

Anemia: Anemia, a decrease in hemoglobin levels, may result due to the destruction of red blood cells caused by hemolysis.

Jaundice: Hemoglobin released by hemolysis breaks down in the body to produce bilirubin, causing yellowing of the skin and eyes.

Other symptoms: including headache, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Boys need to pay special attention to favism

Statistics show that about 400 million people worldwide suffer from favism, which is more common in Mediterranean countries, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In my country, the incidence of favism is about 5.5%, and it is higher in the south than in the north, especially in Guangdong, Yunnan, and Sichuan.

Favism has a very obvious family inheritance phenomenon, and about 41.3% of patients have a family history of inheritance. Moreover, the incidence rate of this disease in men is significantly higher than that in women, about 90% of which occurs in men, and two-thirds of them are children under three years old. Why is this?

This is because the cause of favism is G-6-PD deficiency, which is an X-chromosome incomplete dominant genetic disease.

Male sex chromosomes consist of an X chromosome and a Y chromosome, of which the X chromosome comes from the mother. If the mother happens to carry the disease-causing gene on this chromosome, the boy will suffer from favism, which means that there is a 50% chance that the boy born to a mother with favism will be a patient and a 50% chance that he will be healthy. For girls, half are healthy and half are carriers. Carriers rarely get sick or the symptoms are so mild that they are often ignored. This is why most favism patients are concentrated in boys.

Therefore, if you have a boy at home, you need to pay special attention to him.

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"Favism", prevention is the key

According to current research, there is no special treatment for favism. Only effective prevention can prevent the occurrence of favism.

Because this disease is hereditary, if one of the parents has "favism", then you should be especially careful. When parents give their babies broad beans for the first time, they should pay special attention to the child's reaction. If the child shows symptoms of general discomfort, fatigue, and dark urine after eating broad beans, they must take the child to the hospital in time.

If you have been diagnosed with favism, it will be with you for life and will not get lighter or disappear, so you need to pay special attention.

Eating broad beans and broad bean products is the main cause of this disease, accounting for about 80%. Therefore, if you find that your child has broad bean disease, don't feed him broad beans and related products, including bean paste, orchid beans, strange-flavored beans, etc. (Also the crispy grass carp we mentioned earlier: this fish is the most suitable for hot pot, because it is "sick"! But there is a group of people who should never eat it...) When buying other foods, you should also pay special attention to whether the food ingredient list contains broad beans.

There are many ways to ingest broad beans, including eating raw, cooked, dried, fresh broad beans and broad bean products. Breast milk after consuming broad beans can also cause illness in infants. Therefore, if the baby has favism, the mother should not eat broad beans and their products during breastfeeding.

Moreover, favism does not necessarily require eating broad beans to cause it. Some people may even develop the disease by smelling the fragrance of broad beans or touching broad bean pollen. Therefore, during the broad bean flowering, fruiting or harvesting season, children should also be avoided from visiting broad bean fields.

In addition, the naphthalene component contained in mothballs can also cause hemolysis, so try not to use mothballs at home. If you use mothballs to store clothes, it is best to put them outside in a ventilated place to dry before wearing them to let the naphthalene components dissipate.

Once favism occurs, you should go to a regular hospital for treatment immediately. When seeking medical treatment, you must clearly tell the doctor that your child is a favism patient to avoid delaying treatment.

References

[1] Liu Bolin, Yu Xuerong, Zhao Ziwei, et al. Analysis of nutritional content and nutritional evaluation of seven kinds of beans [J]. Anhui Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2020, 26(04): 270-276. DOI: 10.19837/j.cnki.ahyf.2020.04.007. [2] Dhull, SB, Kidwai, MK, Noor, R., Chawla, P., & Rose, PK (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 Mengjie. Detection of G6PD gene mutation and X chromosome inactivation bias in a favism genetic family[D]. Hubei Medical College, 2023. DOI:10.27913/d.cnki.ghyby.2023.000206.

[4] Tao Yuanyun. Current status and prospects of G6PD deficiency research in Sichuan Province[J]. Sichuan Medicine, 1994, (01): 39-41. DOI:10.16252/j.cnki.issn1004-0501-1994.01.022.

[5] Yu Chao. Clinical analysis of 355 cases of G-6-PD deficiency in children[D]. Chongqing Medical University, 2015.

[6] Li Xiaoling, Yi Yinzhi, Li Mei, et al. Research progress in diagnosis, treatment and nursing of favism[J]. General Nursing, 2018, 16 (32): 3985-3987.

Author: Ruan Guangfeng, Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center

Review丨Zhang Yu, Researcher, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Doctor of Medicine