Black beans and edamame: a small LDL drop for pulses, little tested on edamame

The firmest evidence here is about pulses as a group. A meta-analysis of 38 randomized trials in 2,095 people, eating a median of 4.6 oz (130 g) of whole pulses a day for a median of 6 weeks, found LDL cholesterol fell by 5.4 mg/dL (95% CI -7.3 to -3.1; metric: 0.14 mmol/L, -0.19 to -0.08). HDL cholesterol fell slightly too, by 1.2 mg/dL (95% CI -1.9 to -0.39; metric: 0.03 mmol/L, -0.05 to -0.01). Those trials pooled pulses in general and did not test black beans on their own, and soy, the plant edamame comes from, was not counted as a pulse. For soy, a network meta-analysis of 61 trials in 4,744 people ranked whole soy foods first among soy products for lowering fasting glucose and fasting insulin. That is a ranking with no size of effect, and edamame alone was never tested in it. In a randomized crossover trial in 35 older adults, a 4.8 oz (135 g) serving of canned black beans in a breakfast tortilla gave no different fullness, later pizza intake or 24-hour energy intake than 2.8 oz (80 g) of beef. A result with no difference does not prove the two foods are equal.

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g cooked, black beans give 8.9 g protein and 8.7 g fiber, while edamame gives about 12 g protein and 6.2 g fiber with more potassium. — USDA SR Legacy black beans boiled; USDA Foundation edamame frozen prepared (4 samples); CoFID edamame boiled (n = 4 samples (edamame)) Evidence E source
  Black beans: 132 calories, protein 8.86 g, fiber 8.7 g, potassium 355 mg, iron 2.1 mg; edamame Foundation: fiber 6.23 g (5.55-6.97), potassium 519.5 mg (423-573), iron 2.33 mg (1.92-2.85), folate 185.3 ug (126.6-255.0); CoFID edamame: protein 12.2 g, 142 calories, fiber 5.9 g

What a real portion looks like

• The 2025-2030 US Dietary Guidelines list beans, peas, lentils, legumes and soy among the plant-sourced protein foods to eat in variety. — US population, federal dietary guidance Evidence E source
  Beans, peas, lentils, legumes, soy named as plant-sourced protein foods
• In the guidelines' serving guide, half a cup of beans, peas or lentils is one protein serving, and the vegetable group also includes beans, peas, lentils and legumes. — US population, federal dietary guidance Evidence E source
  1 protein serving = 1/2 cup beans, peas or lentils (or 3 oz soy); legumes also listed in the vegetable group
• In a randomized crossover trial in 35 older adults, a 4.8 oz (135 g) serving of black beans in a breakfast tortilla gave no different fullness or later food intake than 2.8 oz (80 g) of beef. — 35 older adults, mean age 72.4, three breakfast test meals (n = 35) Evidence B source
  Appetite AUCs, ad libitum pizza intake and 24 h energy intake not different between black beans, kidney beans and beef
• A cup of cooked black beans weighs 6.3 oz (180 g) and a cup of cooked edamame 160 g in the US survey food database. — FNDDS portion weights Evidence E source
  Black beans from dried or canned: 1 cup 180 g, unspecified 90 g; edamame cooked: 1 cup 160 g, 1 pod 2 g, unspecified 80 g

What your body absorbs

• In two randomized crossover trials in 55 adults, two ounce-equivalents of black beans delivered 3.02 g of essential amino acids against 7.36 g from pork and 5.38 g from eggs, with lower bioavailability than either. — 30 young (mean 26 y) and 25 older adults (mean 64 y), four test meals (n = 55) Evidence B source
  Black beans 3.02 g EAA vs pork 7.36 g and eggs 5.38 g per two oz-eq; lower postprandial EAA bioavailability (p < 0.0001)
• In a randomized crossover trial in 10 young and 10 older adults, lysine and threonine digestibility from black beans did not differ by age, while it was 19% lower in older adults for sorghum. — 10 young (21.8 y) and 10 older adults (72.8 y), 20 g labeled protein per test day (n = 20) Evidence B source
  Black beans: no age difference (P = 0.849); sorghum: 19% lower in older adults (P = 0.041)
• In a stable-isotope crossover trial in Guatemalan girls aged 12-13, only 5.5% of iron from fortified corn tortilla and black bean paste meals was absorbed, rising to 9.0% with NaFeEDTA. — Guatemalan girls aged 12-13 Evidence B source
  Iron bioavailability 5.5% with ferrous sulfate vs 9.0% with NaFeEDTA (P = 0.009)

What cooking and storage change

• Soaking and pressure cooking cut aflatoxin B1 in naturally contaminated black beans by 80-93% in a 2026 laboratory study. — naturally contaminated black beans, soaked and pressure cooked Evidence D source
  AFB1 reduced 80-93%; only 30.4% of the bio-accessible fraction crossed an intestinal membrane model
• Cooking frozen vegetables such as edamame keeps about 70% of folate and 90% of potassium by the USDA group retention table. — USDA retention factors for the group Vegetables and Vegetable Products, cooked from frozen, boiled and drained Evidence E source
  Folate 70%, vitamin C 80%, potassium 90%, iron 95%, magnesium 95% retained (Retn_Code 3789)

What it does to your health

• In a randomized crossover trial in 12 healthy women, adding black beans to a white rice meal with the same 50 g of carbohydrate lowered blood glucose at 60, 90 and 120 minutes. — 12 healthy women aged 18-65, single test meals at least 7 days apart (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Lower glucose vs rice alone at 60 min (p = 0.026), 90 min (p = 0.001) and 120 min (p = 0.024)
• In a pilot randomized crossover trial in 8 healthy adults, three quarters of a cup of black beans lowered LDL cholesterol 6 hours after eating compared with rice. — 8 healthy adults, 3/4 cup of beans or rice, at least 6 days apart (n = 8) Evidence B source
  LDL lower 6 h after black beans vs rice (p < 0.05); lower augmentation pressure vs rice and pinto bean
• In 258 adults at risk of metabolic syndrome, higher edamame intake went with lower fasting glucose, and black bean intake with lower insulin and HOMA-IR. — 258 adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome, China; 82 in a black bean intervention (n = 258) Evidence C source
  Edamame and mung bean: lower fasting glucose; black bean: lower insulin and HOMA-IR; black bean intervention lowered FPG (P = 0.018)
• A meta-analysis of 38 trials in 2,095 people found whole pulses lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.4 mg/dL (0.14 mmol/L) and HDL cholesterol by 1.2 mg/dL (0.03 mmol/L). — 38 randomized trials (52 comparisons) of whole dietary pulses, median 6 weeks, median 130 g/d (n = 2095) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -5.4 mg/dL (-7.3 to -3.1; metric: -0.14 mmol/L, -0.19 to -0.08), non-HDL-C -8.5 mg/dL (-12 to -5.4; metric: -0.22 mmol/L, -0.30 to -0.14), apoB -0.08 g/L, HDL-C -1.2 mg/dL (-1.9 to -0.39; metric: -0.03 mmol/L, -0.05 to -0.01)
• A network meta-analysis of 61 RCTs with 4,744 people ranked whole soy foods first among soy products for lowering fasting glucose and insulin. — 4744 participants in 61 randomized trials of soy foods and soy extracts (n = 4744) Evidence A source
  Whole soy SUCRA 91.0% for fasting glucose, 95.4% for fasting insulin; a ranking, no effect size in the quoted text

Safety, limits and interactions

• Edamame is soybean, one of the major food allergens US law requires labels to declare, which black beans are not. — US food labeling law (FALCPA 2004) Evidence E source
  Soybeans named among the eight (now nine) major food allergens

Who this works differently for

• In a randomized crossover trial in 12 adults with metabolic syndrome, a Western-style meal with black beans produced lower insulin over five hours than fiber- or antioxidant-matched meals. — 12 adults with metabolic syndrome, mean age 49, three test meals (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Postprandial insulin lower after the black bean meal vs fiber-matched or antioxidant-matched meals (p < 0.0001)

The bottom line

Black beans fall short of meat on essential amino acids. In two crossover trials in 55 young and older adults, a two ounce-equivalent portion of black beans delivered 3.02 g of essential amino acids against 7.36 g from pork and 5.38 g from eggs, with lower bioavailability than either. That was measured in blood after single meals, with no muscle outcome, and edamame was not tested. In a small dual tracer trial in 10 young and 10 older adults, digestibility of black bean lysine and threonine did not differ significantly by age, while sorghum came out 19% lower in the older group. The other black bean trials are single meals in a handful of people. Adding black beans to a white rice meal with the same 50 g of carbohydrate lowered blood glucose at 60, 90 and 120 minutes in 12 healthy women, and nobody followed them beyond that meal. In a pilot in 12 adults with metabolic syndrome, a Western-style meal with black beans gave lower insulin over five hours than meals matched for fiber or antioxidant capacity. A pilot in 8 healthy adults found lower LDL cholesterol 6 hours after three quarters of a cup of black beans than after rice, a very small acute result that adds little to the six-week trials above. For edamame the only human data in our cards come from 258 Chinese adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome. Higher edamame intake on food questionnaires went with lower fasting glucose, an association that no trial of edamame itself in our cards has tested. In 82 of those adults a black bean intervention lowered fasting glucose (P = 0.018) with no control group, and the abstract we quote does not give the size of the drop. Per 100 g cooked, black beans give 8.9 g of protein, 8.7 g of fiber and 355 mg of potassium. Frozen edamame, prepared, gives 6.2 g of fiber and 519.5 mg of potassium across 4 USDA samples, and about 12 g of protein by the UK table, because the USDA samples carry no protein figure. The two tables disagree sharply on edamame folate, 185 micrograms per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the USDA samples against 15 micrograms in the UK table, and we cannot tell you which is right. A US cup of cooked black beans weighs 6.3 oz (180 g) and a cup of cooked edamame 160 g. The 2025 to 2030 US Dietary Guidelines count half a cup of beans, peas or lentils, or 3 oz of soy, as one protein serving, and list beans in the vegetable group as well. They do not name edamame, so it is unclear whether it counts as soy or as beans. Frozen edamame boiled and drained keeps about 70% of its folate and 90% of its potassium by a USDA group factor from 1975 that was never measured on edamame itself. In Guatemalan girls aged 12 to 13, only 5.5% of the fortification iron in a corn tortilla and black bean paste meal was absorbed, and 9.0% when the fortificant was NaFeEDTA. The abstract of that study does not say how many girls took part. Edamame is soybean, one of the major food allergens US law requires labels to declare, and black beans are not on that list. The law covers labeling and says nothing about how common soy allergy is. In a laboratory study on a naturally contaminated lot chosen for the test, soaking and pressure cooking cut aflatoxin B1 in black beans by 80 to 93%, which tells you nothing about how often shop beans are contaminated. We have no card on medicines, pregnancy or kidney disease for either bean.

Sources

1. bbed-r7-11 · USDA FoodData Central and CoFID 2021, dataset
   Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 173735, SR Legacy): energy 132 kcal; protein 8.86 g; fiber 8.7 g; potassium 355 mg; iron 2.1 mg; magnesium 70 mg per 100 g. Edamame, frozen, prepared (Foundation, 4 samples): Fiber, total dietary 6.233 G range 5.55-6.97; Potassium, K 519.5 MG range 423.0-573.0; Iron, Fe 2.33 MG range 1.92-2.85; Folate, total 185.3 UG range 126.6-255.0. CoFID 13-667 Beans, edamame, frozen, boiled in unsalted water: Protein 12.2 g; Energy 142 kcal; AOAC fibre 5.9 g; Folate 15 µg
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy FDC 173735; USDA Foundation Foods release 2026-04-30 (Edamame, frozen, prepared); CoFID 2021 code 13-667 · checked 2026-09-29
2. bbed-dga-01 · agency guideline
   Consume a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat, as well as a variety of plant-sourced protein foods, including beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy.
   Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (HHS, USDA), January 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
3. bbed-dga-02 · agency guideline
   Protein Foods ... Serving Size Examples 3 oz cooked meat, poultry, or seafood; 1 egg; ½ cup beans, peas, or lentils; 1 oz nuts or seeds; 2 tbsp nut or seed butter; 3 oz soy ... Vegetables: Vegetables of all types—dark green; red and orange; beans, peas, lentils, and legumes; starchy; and other vegetables, including fresh, frozen, and canned, cooked, or raw vegetables.
   Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030: Daily Servings by Calorie Level (HHS, USDA) · checked 2026-09-29
4. bbed-r7-06 · randomized controlled trial
   Older adults [n = 35, age 72.4 ± 6.66 y, BMI (in kg/m2) 25.1 ± 3.25] consumed 3 breakfast tortilla test meals containing 1 serving of black beans (135 g), red kidney beans (135 g), or beef (80 g) in a randomized, crossover design. ... Appetite sensation AUCs, ad libitum pizza intake, and 24-h energy intake did not significantly differ between the test meals.
   J Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
5. bbed-r7-12 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Black beans, from dried, no added fat (FNDDS 41102020): 1 cup 180 g; 1 oz dry, yield after cooking 70 g; Quantity not specified 90 g. Black beans, from canned, no added fat (FNDDS 41102080): 1 cup 180 g. Edamame, cooked (FNDDS 41420020): 1 pod, yields 2 g; 1 cup 160 g; Quantity not specified 80 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food codes 41102020, 41102080 and 41420020 · checked 2026-09-29
6. bbed-r7-01 · randomized controlled trial
   Two oz-eq portions of pork (7.36 g EAA) and eggs (5.38 g EAA) resulted in greater EAA bioavailability than black beans (3.02 g EAA) and almonds (1.85 g EAA) in young and older adults, separately or combined (p < 0.0001 for all).
   Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
7. bbed-r7-02 · randomized controlled trial
   RESULTS: The isotope plasma-to-meal ratio for lysine and threonine was 19% lower in older adults compared with young adults for sorghum (P = 0.041), whereas it was not significantly different for milk (P = 0.277) and black beans (P = 0.849).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
8. bbed-r7-07 · randomized controlled trial
   Geometric mean iron bioavailability from test meals fortified with ferrous sulfate was 5.5% and was significantly higher in test meals fortified with NaFeEDTA (9.0%; P = 0.009, paired t test).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2002 · checked 2026-09-29
9. bbed-r7-09 · laboratory food chemistry
   Cooking reduced AFB₁ levels by 80-93% with optimal conditions for 50 g beans soaked for 8 h and then cooked with 841 mL water. ... However, only 30.4% of the bio-accessible fraction permeated the membrane, indicating limited potential for absorption.
   Food Addit Contam Part A, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
10. bbed-r7-13 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
    USDA-RETN-R6:3789 VEG,OTHER,CKD FROM FRZN(BLD,DRAIND), group Vegetables and Vegetable Products: folate_total_ug 70% retained, vitamin_c_mg 80%, potassium_mg 90%, iron_mg 95%, magnesium_mg 95%, zinc_mg 95%
    USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 3789 · checked 2026-09-29
11. bbed-r7-03 · randomized controlled trial
    This randomized cross-over study examined the glycemic and insulinemic impact of 50 grams of available carbohydrate from three test meals: plain white rice (control), black beans with rice, and chickpeas with rice among healthy adult women (n = 12, 18-65 years). ... Changes in blood glucose concentrations were significantly different for the black bean meal and the chickpea meal in comparison to rice alone at 60 min (p = 0.026 and p = 0.024), 90 min (p = 0.001 and p = 0.012) and 120 min post prandial (p = 0.024; black bean meal).
    Nutrients, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
12. bbed-r7-05 · randomized controlled trial
    Vascular tone (primary endpoint), haemodynamics and serum biochemistry (secondary endpoints) were measured in 8 healthy adults before and at 1, 2, and 6 h after eating ¾ cup of beans or rice. ... LDL-cholesterol concentrations were lower 6 h after black bean consumption compared to rice (p < 0.05).
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
13. bbed-r7-08 · cross-sectional study
    Cross-sectionally, higher mung bean and edamame intakes are consistently associated with lower FPG, while ormosia, black bean, and soybean associated with lower INS and HOMA-IR. In the intervention, black bean consumption decreased FPG (P = 0.018) alongside enrichment of beneficial microbes and a relative suppression of pro-inflammatory taxa.
    Mol Nutr Food Res, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
14. bbed-ws7-01 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    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]), non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (-0.22 mmol/L [95% CI, -0.30 to -0.14]), apoB (apolipoprotein B) (-0.08 g/L [95% CI, -0.13 to -0.03]) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (-0.03 mmol/L [95% CI, -0.05 to -0.01]) with no effects on other lipids.
    J Am Heart Assoc, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
15. bbed-ws7-02 · network meta-analysis
    Whole soy was ranked as the best diet (SUCRA: 91.0%) regarding fasting glucose-lowering effects, with isolated isoflavones was ranked as second (SUCRA: 79.1%). For fasting insulin regulation, the best soy component choices was whole soy (SUCRA: 95.4%) and isolated isoflavones (SUCRA: 74.7%).
    Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
16. bbed-r7-10 · FDA regulatory information
    Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA). This law identified eight foods as major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
    FDA, Food Allergies · checked 2026-09-29
17. bbed-r7-04 · randomized controlled trial
    In this randomized, controlled, crossover trial, 12 adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS) consumed one of three meals (black bean (BB), fiber matched (FM), and antioxidant capacity matched (AM)) on three occasions that included blood collection before (fasting) and five hours postprandially. Insulin was lower after the BB meal, compared to the FM or AM meals (p < 0.0001).
    Nutrients, 2015 · checked 2026-09-29