Refried beans with meat: the beans have evidence, the dish does not

Beans and other pulses lower LDL cholesterol, and that comes from meta-analyses of randomized trials. Across 38 trials in 2,095 people, whole pulses at a median 130 g a day, about half to two thirds of a cup, 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) over a median 6 weeks. Those were whole pulses, not beans refried with meat. An earlier pooling of 26 trials in 1,037 people found a drop of 0.17 mmol/L at about one serving a day. Nobody has tested refried beans with meat as a dish, and none of our sources measured how refrying and the added meat change the effect of the beans or how much fat and sodium they add. USDA survey data count a cup of the dish as 260 g.

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

What a real portion looks like

• USDA dietary survey data set one cup of refried beans with meat at 260 g and an unspecified serving at 130 g. — USDA FNDDS portion record (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  1 cup 260 g; quantity not specified 130 g

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized stable-isotope study in 29 young adults, only about 0.41 percent of the iron in 3.5 oz (100 g) of cooked common beans was absorbed. — 29 healthy young adults in Brazil, single 100 g bean meal (n = 29) Evidence B source
  Mean iron absorption 0.409% (common bean) and 0.407% (biofortification-target bean), no difference

What cooking and storage change

• In a randomized crossover trial in 10 healthy adults, cooked adzuki beans and lotus seeds had a low glycemic index of 21 to 51, while most other starchy foods tested did not differ from rice. — 10 healthy adults, single test meals, two cooking durations (n = 10) Evidence B source
  GI 21 to 51 for adzuki bean and lotus seed vs 83 to 109 for other starchy foods

What it does to your health

• According to a 2026 meta-analysis of 38 randomized trials in 2,095 people, whole pulses at a median 130 g a day lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.4 mg/dL (0.14 mmol/L) over a median 6 weeks. — adults in randomized trials of at least 3 weeks, median 6 weeks (n = 2095) Evidence A source
  LDL -5.4 mg/dL (95% CI -7.3 to -3.1; metric: -0.14 mmol/L, -0.19 to -0.08)
• According to a 2014 meta-analysis of 26 randomized trials in 1,037 people, about one serving of pulses a day lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) compared with control diets. — adults in randomized trials of at least 3 weeks (n = 1037) Evidence A source
  LDL -6.6 mg/dL (95% CI -9.7 to -3.5; metric: -0.17 mmol/L, -0.25 to -0.09); no effect on apoB or non-HDL cholesterol

Who this works differently for

• A systematic review of 9 studies in low- and middle-income countries found that improved legume varieties raised iron intake at least 1.5-fold. — people in low- and middle-income countries eating improved legume varieties (n = 9 studies) Evidence C source
  Iron intake at least 1.5-fold higher

The bottom line

Beans are not an easy source of iron. In a randomized stable-isotope study in 29 healthy young adults in Brazil, only about 0.41 percent of the iron in a single 3.5 oz (100 g) meal of cooked common beans was absorbed. That meal had no meat in it, so it says nothing about how this dish behaves. A systematic review of 9 studies in low- and middle-income countries found that specially bred legume varieties raised iron intake at least 1.5-fold, which applies to those varieties and not to ordinary supermarket beans. Beans are slow on blood sugar in the one small trial we have. In 10 healthy adults, cooked adzuki beans and lotus seeds had a glycemic index of 21 to 51, while most other starchy foods tested did not differ from rice. Adzuki is a different bean from the pinto usually refried, and the test meals had no fat or meat. We have no card on allergy, pregnancy, children or medicines for this dish, so the page has no safety section. Read that as missing evidence.

Sources

1. rbm-daily-r3-06 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Refried beans with meat (FNDDS 41205030, FDC 2707398, WWEIA Beans, peas, legumes): 1 cup = 260 g; Quantity not specified = 130 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 41205030, FDC 2707398 · checked 2026-10-02
2. rbm-daily-r3-03 · randomized stable isotope study
   Mean iron absorption from the meal with common beans was 0.409% (±0.040%) and mean iron incorporation from the meal with target beans for biofortification 0.407% (±0.038%) and did not differ between the groups.
   Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2018 · checked 2026-10-02
3. rbm-daily-r3-05 · randomized crossover trial
   Both the LS and AB meals achieved low glycemic index (GI 21⁻51), while the other starchy foods failed to show significant difference with rice (GI 83⁻109).
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-10-02
4. rbm-daily-r3-01 · 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]),
   J Am Heart Assoc, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
5. rbm-daily-r3-02 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   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 2026-10-02
6. rbm-daily-r3-04 · systematic review
   Consumption of improved legumes resulted in a ≥1.5-fold increase in iron intake.
   Adv Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-10-02