Pigeon peas: a pulse with an uncertain folate number

A 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 (0.14 mmol/L) (95% CI 0.08 to 0.19 lower). That abstract does not name pigeon peas. A second pooling of 24 trials in 1,938 adults over at least six weeks found LDL 6.2 mg/dL (0.16 mmol/L) lower and fasting glucose 3.2 mg/dL (0.18 mmol/L) lower with more legumes, at moderate certainty. We found no human trial on pigeon peas alone. Their best known number is shakier than it looks. The USDA record for raw mature pigeon peas lists 456 micrograms of folate per 3.5 oz (100 g), more than the full Daily Value, while the UK table puts raw split pigeon pea dahl at 100 micrograms. Part of that gap may be that dahl is hulled, and the folate methods behind the two numbers are not known.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• The USDA record for raw mature pigeon peas lists 456 micrograms of folate and 1.06 mg of copper per 3.5 oz (100 g), each more than the full Daily Value. — USDA SR Legacy FDC 172436 Pigeon peas (red gram), mature seeds, raw (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g raw: folate 456 mcg (114% DV), copper 1.057 mg (117% DV), thiamin 0.643 mg (54% DV)

What a real portion looks like

• In an urban Indian survey, split pigeon pea was the most eaten pulse at 371.6 g per month and supplied 18% of isoflavone intake from legumes. — sample urban Indian population Evidence C source
  Pigeon pea (split, decorticated) 371.6 g/month; 18% of legume isoflavone intake

What your body absorbs

• In a lab digestion model, pigeon peas had the highest calcium availability of the legumes tested, while iron and zinc availability varied with phytic and tannic acid. — six to ten local legumes, in vitro mineral availability Evidence D source
  Calcium availability 75.1 (sem 7.1) for pigeon peas, highest among legumes tested

What cooking and storage change

• Boiled pigeon pea dahl in the UK table has 25 micrograms of folate and 118 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 100 micrograms and 324 calories for the dry raw dahl. — CoFID 2021 codes 13-104 (raw) and 13-105 (boiled in unsalted water) (n = 2 records) Evidence E source
  Boiled per 3.5 oz (100 g): folate 25 mcg, thiamin 0.15 mg, copper 0.34 mg, protein 8.7 g, water 66.8 g, 118 calories
• By the USDA retention table for legumes boiled 45 to 75 minutes and drained, about 45% of folate, 60% of thiamin and 65% of copper stay in the beans. — USDA factors for the group Legumes and Legume Products; pigeon peas are not named individually Evidence E source
  Boiled, drained (521): folate 45%, thiamin 60%, copper 65%, potassium 70%, iron 80%, zinc 85%

What it does to your health

• Pooling 24 randomized trials with 1938 adults eating about 3 oz (86 g) of legumes a day for at least 6 weeks, LDL cholesterol fell by 6.2 mg/dL (0.16 mmol/L) and fasting glucose by 3.2 mg/dL (0.18 mmol/L). — 24 trials, 33 comparisons, 1,938 participants, at least six weeks (n = 1938) Evidence A source
  TC MD -0.23 mmol/L (-0.33 to -0.13); LDL MD -6.2 mg/dL (-9.3 to -3.1; metric: -0.16 mmol/L, -0.24 to -0.08); fasting glucose MD -3.2 mg/dL (-5.4 to -1.1; metric: -0.18 mmol/L, -0.30 to -0.06)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In lab tests of four Indian pigeon pea varieties, pressure cooking completely destroyed trypsin inhibitor activity, and 48 h sprouting cut it by 86-88%. — four pigeon pea cultivars (UPAS-120, Manak, JCPL-151, ICPL-87), laboratory analysis (n = 4 cultivars) Evidence D source
  Trypsin inhibitor activity destroyed by pressure cooking; -86 to -88% in 48 h sprouts

What people believe that the data does not support

• A meta-analysis of 38 randomized trials with 2095 people found 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), yet no pulse carries a cholesterol health claim. — Thirty-eight trials (52 trial comparisons, n=2095), median 6 weeks, median dose 130 g/d (n = 2095) Evidence A source
  LDL-C MD -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 (-12 to -5.4; metric: -0.22 mmol/L, -0.30 to -0.14); HDL-C -1.2 mg/dL (-0.03 mmol/L)

Who this works differently for

• In 1275 rural Malawian children aged 6 to 59 months, eating pigeon peas was linked to much lower odds of wasting, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.14. — 1275 children aged 6-59 months in Mzimba, Mchinji and Mangochi districts, Malawi (n = 1275) Evidence C source
  Wasting AOR 0.14 with pigeon pea consumption
• Among 1526 pigeon pea farmers in Tanzania and Mozambique, 35% were anemic and only about half met iron needs. — 1526 farmers (669 from Tanzania, 857 from Mozambique) (n = 1526) Evidence C source
  Anemia 35% overall, 48% in Mozambican women; iron intake adequate in 51%

What is still unknown

• The UK composition table lists raw pigeon pea dahl at 100 micrograms of folate per 3.5 oz (100 g), less than a quarter of the USDA figure, so the folate content is uncertain. — CoFID 2021 code 13-104 Beans, pigeon peas, dahl, dried, raw (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: folate 100 mcg (USDA 456 mcg), copper 0.93 mg, protein 21.8 g, energy 324 calories, fat 1.9 g

The bottom line

Cooking takes most of the folate either way. Boiled pigeon pea dahl in the UK table has 25 micrograms of folate and 118 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 100 micrograms and 324 calories raw, and part of that drop is the 2.4 oz (66.8 g) of water the boiled dahl holds. The USDA retention table for legumes boiled 45 to 75 minutes and drained keeps about 45% of folate, 60% of thiamin and 65% of copper, as a group factor that does not name pigeon peas. Cooking also changes what the raw seed contains. In lab tests on four Indian varieties, pressure cooking completely destroyed trypsin inhibitor activity, and 48 hour sprouting cut it by 86 to 88%. In a lab digestion model, pigeon peas had the highest calcium availability of the legumes tested, 75.1 in units the abstract does not explain. Most human data on pigeon peas comes from places where they are a staple, and it is observational. In 1,275 rural Malawian children aged 6 to 59 months, eating pigeon peas was linked to lower odds of wasting (adjusted odds ratio 0.14, no interval given), a cross-sectional link and not a measured effect. Among 1,526 pigeon pea farmers in Tanzania and Mozambique, 35% were anemic and 51% met their iron needs, which describes the farmers without testing the crop. In an urban Indian survey of unstated size, split pigeon pea was the most eaten pulse at 371.6 g per month. Caution: the only safety data we hold are the lab antinutrient tests above, done on seed and not in people. We have no card on allergy, pregnancy or drug interactions for pigeon peas.

Sources

1. pgpe-r1-01 · USDA SR Legacy, dataset
   Pigeon peas (red gram), mature seeds, raw (FDC 172436, sr_legacy, Legumes and Legume Products): Folate 456 µg; Copper 1.057 mg; Thiamin 0.643 mg per 100 g
   USDA SR Legacy 2018, FDC 172436 · checked 2026-10-02
2. pgpe-r1-11 · nutrition survey
   Consumption of pigeon pea (split, decorticated) and chickpea (split, decorticated) was found to be highest at 371.6 g/month and 329.7 g/month, and hence were found to contribute 18% and 14% to total isoflavone intake, respectively.
   Nutr Cancer, 2019 · checked 2026-10-02
3. pgpe-r1-06 · in vitro
   The highest Fe availability among legumes was for lima beans (9.5 (sem 0.1)) while for Zn and Ca, the highest availability was for kidney beans (49.3 (sem 4.5)) and pigeon peas (75.1 (sem 7.1)), respectively.
   Br J Nutr, 2010 · checked 2026-10-02
4. pgpe-r1-03 · CoFID 2021, dataset
   Beans, pigeon peas, dahl, dried, boiled in unsalted water (CoFID 13-105): Energy 118 kcal; Protein 8.7 g; Water 66.8 g; Copper 0.34 mg; Folate 25 µg; Thiamin 0.15 mg per 100 g
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England), code 13-105, Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 2026-10-02
5. pgpe-r1-04 · reference dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:521 LEGUMES,CKD 45/75MIN,BOILED,DRND — folate_total_ug 45% · thiamin_mg 60% · copper_mg 65% · potassium_mg 70% · iron_mg 80% · zinc_mg 85%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-10-02
6. pgpe-r1-08 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   There was moderate certainty evidence that higher legume intakes improved total cholesterol (mean difference (MD) -0.23mmol/L, 95%CI -0.33 to -0.13), LDL cholesterol (MD -0.16mmol/L (-0.24 to -0.08)), and fasting blood glucose (MD -0.18mmol/L (-0.30 to -0.06)).
   Eur J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
7. pgpe-r1-05 · food chemistry study
   Pressure cooking of pigeon pea seeds completely destroyed the TIA while it was reduced to the extent of 86-88% against the control in 48 h pigeon pea sprouts.
   Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2001 · checked 2026-10-02
8. pgpe-r1-07 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   There are no health claims for any pulse for cholesterol reduction, which could support uptake. ... RESULTS: 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 2026-10-02
9. pgpe-r1-09 · cross-sectional
   Pigeon pea consumption significantly reduced odds of wasting (AOR = 0.14), and common beans were associated with lower odds of both wasting and stunting.
   J Nutr Sci, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
10. pgpe-r1-10 · cross-sectional
    A total of 1526 farmers (669 from Tanzania, 857 from Mozambique) were studied, of whom 16% were overweight and 35% were anemic. The highest prevalence of overweight and anemia, at 35% and 48%, was observed in Tanzanian and Mozambican women, respectively. Overall, only a small proportion of women and men reached the recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin A (10%), iron (51%) and zinc (44%).
    Nutrients, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
11. pgpe-r1-02 · CoFID 2021, dataset
    Beans, pigeon peas, dahl, dried, raw (CoFID 13-104): Folate 100 µg; Copper 0.93 mg; Protein 21.8 g; Energy 324 kcal; Fat 1.9 g per 100 g
    CoFID 2021 (Public Health England), code 13-104, Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 2026-10-02