Edamame and green beans: a soybean and a pod

The strongest trial evidence on this page is about soy protein, and it was measured in people with kidney disease. A meta-analysis of 18 randomized trials in 522 people with chronic kidney disease found that replacing animal protein with soy protein lowered LDL cholesterol by 8.26 mg/dL (95% CI 3.17 to 13.35) and protein in the urine by 140.53 mg a day. The trials used soy protein in various forms, and none tested edamame. Edamame carries about 520 mg of potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g), so if you have kidney disease, do not swap your protein sources without asking your kidney doctor. Edamame and green beans share the freezer aisle and little else. Per 100 g boiled, the UK tables give edamame 12.2 g of protein and 142 calories, and green beans 2.1 g of protein and 26 calories. The two big tables disagree on edamame folate: four USDA frozen samples averaged 185 micrograms per 3.5 oz (100 g), while the UK entry lists 15, so treat any single folate figure for it with caution.

How much is actually in it

• Prepared frozen edamame in USDA Foundation Foods averaged 6.2 g fiber, 185 micrograms folate and 520 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g) across 4 samples. — 4 samples of frozen edamame, prepared, USDA Foundation Foods (n = 4) Evidence E source
  Fiber 6.23 g/100 g (5.55 to 6.97), folate 185.3 ug (126.6 to 255.0), potassium 519.5 mg (423 to 573), iron 2.33 mg (1.92 to 2.85)
• In the UK composition tables, boiled edamame has 12.2 g protein and 142 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 2.1 g protein and 26 calories for boiled green beans. — UK food composition entries for boiled edamame and boiled green beans Evidence E source
  Edamame: protein 12.2 g, fiber 5.9 g, 142 calories, folate 15 ug; green beans: protein 2.1 g, fiber 4.1 g, 26 calories, folate 58 ug

What a real portion looks like

• In the US survey food database one cup of cooked edamame weighs 5.6 oz (160 g) and one cup of cooked green beans weighs 5.1 oz (145 g). — US food survey portion weights Evidence E source
  Edamame cooked 1 cup 160 g, 1 pod yields 2 g; green beans fresh cooked with oil 1 cup 145 g, 1 bean 6 g

What your body absorbs

• In a 4-week feeding study, 29 adults eating lutein-rich fruit or vegetables, including 180 g a day of green beans, pumpkin and sweet corn, raised serum lutein by 37%. — 29 healthy normolipemic adults aged 45 to 65, 15 in the vegetable group (n = 29) Evidence C source
  Serum lutein +37% over 4 weeks (total sample); macular pigment unchanged

What cooking and storage change

• USDA retention tables estimate that vegetables cooked from frozen, boiled and drained keep 70% of folate, 80% of vitamin C and 90% of potassium. — food group Vegetables and Vegetable Products, cooked from frozen Evidence E source
  Retained: folate 70%, vitamin C 80%, potassium 90%, thiamin 90%, iron 95%
• A case report describes anaphylaxis after cooked green beans in a 20-year-old woman who tolerated chickpeas, peas and soy, with one 10 kDa protein still recognized after cooking. — one 20-year-old woman (n = 1) Evidence C source
  Anaphylaxis requiring emergency treatment; IgE to a 10 kDa protein in cooked beans
• A systematic review describes Phaseolus vulgaris lectins as anti-nutritional factors that can cause intestinal disorders, with heating among the treatments that change their activity. — laboratory, animal and human studies of Phaseolus vulgaris lectins Evidence D source
  Lectins can cause intestinal disorders; heating, proteolysis and pressure alter bioactivity

What it does to your health

• Cross-sectional data from 258 adults at risk of metabolic syndrome linked higher mung bean and edamame intake with lower fasting plasma glucose. — 258 adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome (n = 258) Evidence C source
  Higher edamame intake associated with lower fasting plasma glucose; size not given in abstract

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a dose-escalating trial in 8 adults aged 70 to 85 with obesity, flour from whole green soybean pods was well tolerated up to 30 g a day. — 8 older adults aged 70 to 85 with obesity, 1 week at each dose of 10, 20 and 30 g/day (n = 8) Evidence C source
  30 g/day well tolerated and increased fullness; authors suggest under 30 g/day
• The CDC lists whole beans among potential choking hazards for young children. — Infants and young children (n = -) Evidence E source
  Listed as food to avoid for young children (choking risk)
• NIH ODS states that in people who cannot excrete potassium normally, because of chronic kidney disease or drugs such as ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics, even dietary potassium intakes below the Adequate Intake can cause hyperkalemia. This includes potassium from edamame and green beans. — people with chronic kidney disease or taking ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics Evidence E source
  Hyperkalemia possible even below the Adequate Intake, no threshold given
• The FDA label for levothyroxine says soybean flour may bind the drug and cut its absorption from the gut. Edamame are young soybeans but the label does not name them. — People taking levothyroxine sodium tablets (n = -) Evidence E source
  Direction only: soybean flour may bind levothyroxine and reduce its absorption; no size, no amount of soy, no timing in this section
• NIH lists vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, as a main food source of vitamin K and advises people on warfarin to keep their vitamin K intake consistent, since sudden changes can raise or lower the drug's effect. — people taking warfarin and similar vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants Evidence E source
  Sudden changes in vitamin K intake can raise or lower the anticoagulant effect

What people believe that the data does not support

• Cohort data from 300,000 Chinese women found the same breast cancer risk in the highest as in the lowest quarter of soy isoflavone intake (RR 1.00), and pooled cohorts linked each 10 mg/day of soy isoflavones with 3% lower risk. — over 300,000 Chinese women aged 30 to 79 followed about 10 years, plus prospective cohorts in a dose-response meta-analysis (n = 300000) Evidence C source
  Top vs bottom isoflavone quartile RR 1.00 (0.81 to 1.22); per 10 mg/day isoflavones 3% lower risk (1 to 5%)
• US labeling rules still allow the claim that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol with 25 g of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. — foods labeled in the US Evidence E source
  Authorized claim, 25 g soy protein per day, no effect size; FDA proposed revoking this claim in 2017
• The EU refused to authorize the claim that soy helps maintain well-being during menopause. — foods and supplements marketed in the EU Evidence E source
  Claim non-authorized, no effect size

Who this works differently for

• A meta-analysis of 18 trials in 522 people with chronic kidney disease found soy protein instead of animal protein lowered LDL cholesterol by 8.26 mg/dL and proteinuria by 140.53 mg/day. — 522 people with chronic kidney disease in 18 randomized trials (n = 522) Evidence A source
  LDL -8.26 mg/dL (95% CI -13.35 to -3.17), total cholesterol -20.55 mg/dL, proteinuria -140.53 mg/day (95% CI -205.83 to -75.23); no change in creatinine or phosphorus
• In a randomized trial of 36 infants starting solids, babies ate and liked carrots more than green beans, and the gap between the vegetables persisted at 18 months. — 36 infants at the start of complementary feeding, 18 intervention and 18 control (n = 36) Evidence B source
  Intake and liking higher for carrots than green beans; vegetable difference persisted at 6 and 18 month follow-up
• In a preschool study of 523 low-income children aged 3 to 5, a year of hands-on nutrition lessons raised willingness to taste edamame more than in comparison classrooms. — 308 intervention and 215 comparison children aged 3 to 5 in Denver preschools (n = 523) Evidence C source
  Greater change in edamame tasting in intervention group (P = 0.001)

What is still unknown

• A scoping review of Australian food composition data found iron in green beans fell by 30 to 50% across time points, but varied methods ruled out firm conclusions. — 34 articles and six versions of Australian food composition databases, 1930s to 2021 (n = 34 articles) Evidence D source
  Iron decrease 30 to 50% in green beans between time points; no definitive conclusion

The bottom line

What cooking from frozen costs is estimated, not measured. USDA group factors from 1975, never measured on these two vegetables, estimate that frozen vegetables boiled and drained keep 70% of folate, 80% of vitamin C and 90% of potassium. A cup of cooked shelled edamame weighs 5.6 oz (160 g), and a cup of cooked green beans weighs 5.1 oz (145 g). Evidence on what the foods themselves do is thin. In 258 adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome, those who ate more mung beans and edamame had lower fasting glucose, in a cross-sectional analysis that did not report the size of the difference. In a four week study without randomization, 29 adults aged 45 to 65 ate lutein-rich fruit or 180 g a day of green beans, pumpkin and sweet corn, and serum lutein rose 37% across the whole sample. Macular pigment did not change, and the green beans cannot be separated from the other two vegetables. Soy and breast cancer is the worry people bring to edamame. In over 300,000 Chinese women followed for about ten years, the highest quarter of soy isoflavone intake had the same breast cancer risk as the lowest (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.22). Pooled cohorts linked each extra 10 mg of isoflavones a day with a 3% lower risk (95% CI 1 to 5%). These are observational data on soy foods in general. US labeling rules still let foods say that 25 g of soy protein a day, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease, although the FDA proposed revoking that claim in 2017. The EU refused to authorize the claim that soy helps well-being during menopause. Children often need convincing. In a randomized trial in 36 infants starting solids, babies ate and liked carrots more than green beans, and the gap between the two vegetables was still there at 18 months. In Denver preschools, a year of hands-on nutrition lessons raised willingness to taste edamame among 523 low-income children aged 3 to 5 more than in comparison classrooms, which were chosen for convenience. Three cards are filed under safety, and each is narrow. A single case report describes anaphylaxis after cooked green beans in a 20-year-old woman who tolerated chickpeas, peas and soy. A review of mostly laboratory and animal studies calls the lectins of this bean species anti-nutritional factors that can cause intestinal disorders, with heating among the treatments that change their activity, and most of that data comes from dry kidney beans. Heat is the remedy that review names, so eat green beans cooked rather than raw. The third is about a flour made from green soybean pods, which 8 adults aged 70 to 85 with obesity tolerated up to 30 g a day in a small dose-escalating trial without randomization. Edamame is a soybean, and we found no card on soy allergy, pregnancy, drug interactions or choking risk in young children for either vegetable. That gap is not evidence of safety. If you take a prescription medicine, ask your pharmacist about soy and green vegetables. Whether green beans have lost iron over the decades is unclear. Australian tables showed a 30 to 50% drop between time points from the 1930s to 2021, and cultivars, origins and lab methods changed too much over that span for a firm answer.

Sources

1. egb-r1-01 · reference dataset
   Edamame, frozen, prepared | Fiber, total dietary 6.233 G range 5.55-6.97, samples 4 | Folate, total 185.3 UG range 126.6-255.0, samples 4 | Potassium, K 519.5 MG range 423.0-573.0, samples 4 | Iron, Fe 2.33 MG range 1.92-2.85, samples 4
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-28
2. egb-r1-02 · reference dataset
   CoFID 13-667 Beans, edamame, frozen, boiled in unsalted water | Protein 12.2 g | AOAC fibre 5.9 g | Energy 142 kcal | Folate 15 ug || CoFID 13-515 Beans, green, boiled in unsalted water | Protein 2.1 g | AOAC fibre 4.1 g | Energy 26 kcal | Folate 58 ug
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-28
3. egb-r1-03 · reference dataset
   Edamame, cooked (FNDDS 41420020) | 1 pod, yields 2 g | 1 cup 160 g || Green beans, fresh, cooked with oil (FNDDS 75205044) | 1 cup 145 g | 1 bean 6 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-28
4. egb-r1-05 · controlled dietary intervention
   Twenty-nine healthy normolipemic subjects, aged 45-65 y, consumed 1.8 mg lutein/day supplied from fruits (14 subjects, 500 g/day of oranges, kiwi and avocados) or vegetables (15 subjects, 180 g/day of green beans, pumpkin, and sweet corn) for four weeks. Serum lutein concentration increased by 37%.
   Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-09-28
5. egb-r1-04 · reference dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3789 VEG,OTHER,CKD FROM FRZN(BLD,DRAIND) | folate_total_ug 70% | vitamin_c_mg 80% | potassium_mg 90% | thiamin_mg 90% | iron_mg 95%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-09-28
6. egb-r1-06 · case report
   We report a 20-year-old woman who experienced anaphylaxis after consuming cooked green beans and required emergency treatment.
   Allergol Immunopathol (Madr), 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
7. egb-r1-07 · systematic review
   Studies have shown that lectins are anti-nutritional factors that can cause intestinal disorders.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-09-28
8. egb-r1-15 · 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.
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
9. egb-r1-08 · dose-escalation trial
   We found that although 30 g WSG was well-tolerated, and it made participants feel full.
   Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-09-28
10. sf-choke-5 · agency advice
    Whole beans.
    CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition: Choking Hazards · checked 2026-10-08
11. sf-khyp-r1-edamame-1 · agency advice
    However, in people with impaired urinary potassium excretion due to chronic kidney disease or the use of certain medications, such as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics, even dietary potassium intakes below the AI can cause hyperkalemia.
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Potassium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-08
12. sf-soylev-r5-2 · agency advice
    Soybean flour, cottonseed meal, walnuts, and dietary fiber may bind and decrease the absorption of levothyroxine sodium from the gastrointestinal tract.
    Levothyroxine sodium tablets, FDA-approved label, section 7.9, effective 2026-03-24 · checked 2026-10-08
13. sf-vkw-r1-16 · agency advice
    Food sources of phylloquinone include vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils, and some fruits. ...These drugs antagonize the activity of vitamin K, leading to the depletion of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors. People taking warfarin and similar anticoagulants need to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K from food and supplements because sudden changes in vitamin K intakes can increase or decrease the anticoagulant effect [45].
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-08
14. egb-r1-10 · cohort and meta-analysis of cohorts
    The multivariable-adjusted relative risk was 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.81-1.22) for the fourth (19.1 mg/day) versus the first (4.5 mg/day) soy isoflavone intake quartile. Meta-analysis of prospective studies found that each 10 mg/day increment in soy isoflavone intake was associated with a 3% (95% CI 1-5%) reduced risk of breast cancer.
    Eur J Epidemiol, 2020 · checked 2026-09-28
15. egb-r1-11 · regulation
    (2) Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of [name of food] provides ____ grams of soy protein.
    21 CFR 101.82, Health claims: Soy protein and risk of coronary heart disease · checked 2026-09-28
16. egb-r1-12 · regulatory register
    POL-HC-8378 Soy Glycine max Soy helps maintain well-being during menopause Soy can positively affect the well-being during menopause Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-8378, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-28
17. egb-r1-09 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    The average reduction was - 20.55 mg/dL (95% CI - 38.25, - 2.85 mg/dL) for total cholesterol (P = 0.02), - 8.26 mg/dL (95% CI - 13.35, - 3.17 mg/dL; P = 0.001) for LDL and - 140.53 (95% CI - 205.83, - 75.23 mg/day) for proteinuria.
    Int Urol Nephrol, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
18. egb-r1-13 · randomized controlled trial
    Intake and liking of carrots were greater than green beans. However, at 6m then 18m follow up, vegetable (carrot > green beans) but not group differences were observed.
    Appetite, 2015 · checked 2026-09-28
19. egb-r1-14 · quasi-experimental study
    Analyses showed that the change over time in consumption of the three vegetable samples varied by intervention status with greater change occurring among children within the intervention group (edamame: P = 0·001; cauliflower: P ≤ 0·0001 and red pepper: P ≤ 0·0001).
    Public Health Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-28
20. egb-r1-16 · scoping review
    The majority of vegetables had similar iron content between two or more timepoints but decreases of 30-50% were noted for sweet corn, red-skinned potatoes, cauliflower and green beans while increases of 150-300% were seen for Hass avocadoes, mushrooms and silverbeet.
    Foods, 2021 · checked 2026-09-28