Bean dip: the beans have trials, the dip does not

The beans in bean dip have good trial evidence behind them, at doses a dip seldom reaches. A 2026 meta-analysis of 38 randomized trials with 2,095 people found that about 4.6 oz (130 g) of whole pulses a day, for a median of 6 weeks, lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.4 mg/dL (95% CI 3.1 to 7.3; metric: 0.14 mmol/L, 0.08 to 0.19). For beans the effect grew with the dose up to 1 cup a day, at 0.25 mmol/L per half cup (95% CI 0.02 to 0.48). A serving of dip holds far fewer beans than 130 g, and we found no study of bean dip itself. A 70 g individual container of dip made with refried beans gives about 83 calories, 3.8 g of protein, 3.4 g of fiber and 310 mg of sodium, and a tablespoon weighs 15 g. That is a single US recipe record, and shop-bought dips vary in sodium and fat.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A 70 g individual container of bean dip made with refried beans provides about 83 calories, 3.8 g protein, 3.4 g fiber and 310 mg sodium, and a tablespoon weighs 15 g. — US dietary survey food record Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 119 calories, protein 5.44 g, carbohydrate 15.89 g, fiber 4.9 g, fat 3.7 g, iron 1.6 mg, sodium 443 mg

What your body absorbs

• In a 10-week randomized trial in 110 mildly anemic Guatemalan toddlers eating canned refried black beans, hemoglobin rose 7.3 to 11.4 g/L in all groups, with no overall difference between beans alone, beans with ferrous sulfate and beans with heme iron. — 110 children aged 12 to 36 months with hemoglobin 100 to 115 g/L, five 5.5 oz (156 g) cans of refried black beans a week for 10 weeks (n = 110) Evidence B source
  Hb +7.3 to +11.4 g/L without significant difference across groups; ferritin unaffected; post hoc heme group +13.1 g/L

What it does to your health

• A 2026 meta-analysis of 38 randomized trials found that about 4.6 oz (130 g) of whole pulses a day for a median 6 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.4 mg/dL (0.14 mmol/L), with larger drops for beans up to 1 cup a day. — 2095 participants in 38 trials (52 comparisons) of at least 3 weeks, median dose 130 g/day (n = 2095) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -5.4 mg/dL (95% CI -7.3 to -3.1; metric: -0.14 mmol/L, -0.19 to -0.08); non-HDL-C -8.5 mg/dL (-0.22 mmol/L); beans dose-response LDL-C -9.7 mg/dL (-0.25 mmol/L) per 0.5 cup (95% CI -0.48 to -0.02); GRADE moderate to high
• A 2014 meta-analysis of 26 randomized trials found that about one serving of pulses a day lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) compared with control diets. — 1037 participants in 26 RCTs of at least 3 weeks, median 130 g/day of pulses (n = 1037) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -6.6 mg/dL (95% CI -9.7 to -3.5; metric: -0.17 mmol/L, -0.25 to -0.09); no effect on apolipoprotein B or non-HDL-C

What people believe that the data does not support

• In three feeding trials where adults ate half a cup of beans a day for 8 to 12 weeks, fewer than half reported more flatulence in the first week, and 3 to 11% reported it even on control diets. — adults in two randomized crossover trials (n = 17, n = 29) and one parallel trial (40 + 40), half a cup of beans daily for 8 or 12 weeks (n = 126) Evidence B source
  Under 50% reported increased flatulence with pinto or baked beans in week 1; 19% with black-eyed peas; 3 to 11% on control

Who this works differently for

• A meta-analysis of 41 randomized trials found that pulses, alone or within low-GI diets, improved fasting glucose and HbA1c or fructosamine in people with and without diabetes. — 41 controlled trials of at least 7 days in people with and without diabetes (n = 41 trials) Evidence A source
  Pulses alone: fasting glucose SMD -0.82 (95% CI -1.36 to -0.27); in low-GI diets: glycated proteins SMD -0.28 (95% CI -0.42 to -0.14); high heterogeneity

The bottom line

An earlier meta-analysis of 26 trials in 1,037 people, at about one serving of pulses a day, found LDL 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) lower (95% CI 0.09 to 0.25) with no effect on apolipoprotein B or non-HDL cholesterol. The 2026 update did find non-HDL cholesterol 8.5 mg/dL (0.22 mmol/L) lower. For blood sugar, a meta-analysis of 41 trials in people with and without diabetes found that pulses alone lowered fasting glucose by a standardized 0.82 (95% CI 0.27 to 1.36), and pulses within low glycemic index diets lowered HbA1c or fructosamine by 0.28. These are standardized units with high heterogeneity between trials, so they show direction more than size. In 110 mildly anemic Guatemalan toddlers who ate five 5.5 oz (156 g) cans of refried black beans a week for 10 weeks, hemoglobin rose 7.3 to 11.4 g/L in every group. Beans alone did as well as beans with ferrous sulfate or with heme iron, and ferritin did not change. Every group ate the beans, so the trial had no bean-free comparison and cannot show how much of the rise came from the beans themselves. Gas worries many people more than the data do. In three feeding trials where adults ate half a cup of beans a day, fewer than half reported more flatulence in the first week on pinto or baked beans, and 19% did on black-eyed peas. Between 3 and 11% reported more flatulence on control diets with no beans. These were self-reports. We have no card on who should be careful with bean dip, so this page has no safety section. The one fact that bears on it is sodium, 443 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the US record.

Sources

1. bdp-daily-r3-01 · food composition dataset
   Bean dip, made with refried beans | FNDDS code 41205050 | fdc_id 2707400 | 1 tablespoon 21000 = 15 g | 1 individual container 60868 = 70 g | Quantity not specified 90000 = 60 g | per 100 g: Energy 119 kcal, Protein 5.44 g, Carbohydrate 15.89 g, Fiber 4.9 g, Total lipid 3.7 g, Iron 1.6 mg, Sodium 443 mg
   USDA FNDDS, Bean dip, made with refried beans, food code 41205050, fdc_id 2707400 · checked 2026-09-28
2. bdp-daily-r3-05 · randomized controlled trial
   In a masked, stratified-randomised intervention trial, children received five 156-g cans of refried black beans per week for 10 consecutive weeks. ... One hundred and ten children aged 12-36 months with initial Hb values between 100 and 115 g l(-1). ... Hb concentrations increased by the order of 7.3-11.4 g l(-1) during the intervention, but without significant differences across treatments. Average ferritin concentrations were unaffected by treatment assignment.
   Public Health Nutr, 2005 · checked 2026-09-28
3. bdp-daily-r3-02 · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   Thirty-eight trials (52 trial comparisons, n=2095) with a median of 6 weeks and dose of 130 g/d (0.5-0.67 cup/d) showed that whole dietary pulses decreased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (mean difference, -0.14 mmol/L [95% CI, -0.19 to -0.08]), ... A linear inverse relationship was shown for beans up to 1 cup/d for low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (coefficient, -0.25 mmol/L/0.5 cup [95% CI, -0.48 to -0.02])
   J Am Heart Assoc, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
4. bdp-daily-r3-03 · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   We identified 26 RCTs (n = 1037) that satisfied the inclusion criteria. Diets emphasizing dietary pulse intake at a median dose of 130 g/d (about 1 serving daily) significantly lowered LDL cholesterol levels compared with the control diets (mean difference -0.17 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval -0.25 to -0.09 mmol/L).
   CMAJ, 2014 · checked 2026-09-28
5. bdp-daily-r3-06 · randomized controlled trials, secondary analysis
   Studies 1 and 2 were randomized crossover trials. ... Study 3 was a parallel arm trial with 40 subjects receiving ½ cup pinto beans and 40 consuming a control soup for 12 weeks. ... RESULTS: Less than 50% reported increased flatulence from eating pinto or baked beans during the first week of each trial, but only 19% had a flatulence increase with black-eyed peas. A small percentage (3-11%) reported increased flatulence across the three studies even on control diets without flatulence-producing components.
   Nutr J, 2011 · checked 2026-09-28
6. bdp-daily-r3-04 · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   A total of 41 trials (39 reports) were included. Pulses alone (11 trials) lowered fasting blood glucose (FBG) (-0.82, 95% CI -1.36 to -0.27) and insulin (-0.49, 95% CI -0.93 to -0.04). Pulses in low-GI diets (19 trials) lowered glycosylated blood proteins (GP), measured as HbA(1c) or fructosamine (-0.28, 95% CI -0.42 to -0.14).
   Diabetologia, 2009 · checked 2026-09-28