NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
🫛

Green Beans

A low-calorie pod legume delivering fiber, vitamin K, and folate with the cardiometabolic pedigree of the bean family.

Moderate evidence 🥦Vegetables

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
9 verified / 9
Classification
Vegetables
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.

Nutrition per serving 1 cup whole, raw (100 g)

100gSERVING
  • Sugars 3.3 g3%
  • Fibre 2.7 g3%
  • Other carbs 1 g1%
  • Protein 1.8 g2%
  • Other 91.2 g91%
What's in one serving, by weight — average composition (USDA).
Vitamin C14%Fiber10%Potassium4%Folate8%Vitamin A4%Vitamin K12%Vitamin B68%Manganese10%
One serving as % of the adult daily requirement (FDA Daily Values). The bold outer ring = 100% of a day's needs.
31 kcal1.8 g protein2.7 g fiber3.3 g sugar
NutrientPer serving% daily value
Vitamin C12 mg14%
Fiber2.7 g10%
Potassium211 mg4%
Folate33 µg8%
Vitamin A35 µg4%
Vitamin K14 µg12%
Vitamin B60.14 mg8%
Manganese0.22 mg10%
Copper0.07 mg8%
Vitamin E0.41 mg3%
Magnesium25 mg6%
Calcium37 mg3%

Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗

What is Green Beans?

Green Beans is a vegetable used for modestly lowers ldl cholesterol (pulse family). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Green beans are the immature pods of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), so the strongest human evidence comes from pulse/legume RCTs and large cohort studies: pulse-rich diets modestly lower LDL cholesterol and improve glycemic control, and higher legume and green-vegetable intake tracks with lower cardiovascular and colorectal-cancer risk. As a fresh pod they are far lower in protein and starch than dried beans but still contribute fiber, vitamin K, folate, and potassium with very few calories. The direct trial evidence for snap beans specifically is limited; benefits are extrapolated from the wider legume and dietary-fiber literature.

Purported Benefits

✓Modestly lowers LDL cholesterol (pulse family)
✓Improves glycemic control and HbA1c
✓Supports healthy body weight and satiety
✓Linked to lower cardiovascular disease risk
✓Fiber, vitamin K and folate, low in calories

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
Standard serving: 1 cup whole, raw (100 g). Eat whole (with skin where edible); favour whole fruit over juice.
Active Compounds
soluble & insoluble fiberresistant starchflavonols (quercetin, kaempferol)chlorophyllvitamin K1 (phylloquinone)carotenoids (lutein, beta-carotene)

Safety & Cautions

Generally very safe. Raw or undercooked pods contain lectins (phytohaemagglutinin) and oligosaccharide FODMAPs that can cause gas or GI upset in sensitive people; brief cooking minimizes both. The meaningful vitamin K1 content can affect INR stability in people on warfarin, who should keep intake consistent rather than avoid it. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Green Beans with any medicine.

Key Studies

Meta-analysis of cohort studies Mendes 2023 (PMC10243120) ✓ Full text
Systematic review and meta-analysis of cohorts: higher legume intake was inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (RR 0.94) and coronary heart disease (RR 0.90), with benefit around 400 g/week.
Meta-analysis of RCTs Sievenpiper-group / Ramdath 2021 (Eur J Nutr) ✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of long-term and acute RCTs: pulse intake lowered HbA1c by ~0.3% (effect size -0.17) and reduced fasting glucose and HOMA-IR in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Meta-analysis Ferreira 2021 (Nutrients) ✓ Full text
Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical and randomized trials (23 articles) reported common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) reduced LDL cholesterol by ~19%, cardiovascular disease risk by 11%, and coronary heart disease risk by 22%.
Meta-analysis of RCTs Kim 2016 (Am J Clin Nutr) ✓ Source
Meta-analysis of 21 RCTs (n=940): diets including ~1 serving/d of pulses reduced body weight by -0.34 kg (95% CI -0.63 to -0.04), even without intentional calorie restriction.
Meta-analysis of cohort studies Pollock 2016 (PMC4973479) ✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of 8 cohorts: each higher category of green leafy and cruciferous vegetable intake was associated with a 15.8% lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (RR 0.842, 95% CI 0.753-0.941).
Meta-analysis of cohort studies Zhu 2015 (Sci Rep) ✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 14 cohorts (1.9M participants, 12,261 cases): higher legume consumption was associated with a 9% lower colorectal cancer risk (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.98).
Systematic review & meta-analysis Reynolds 2019 (Lancet) ✓ Source
Series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses: higher dietary fiber intake (25-29 g/d) lowered all-cause mortality (RR 0.85) and incidence of CHD, stroke and type 2 diabetes by 16-24%.
Meta-analysis of RCTs Ha 2014 (CMAJ) ✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of 26 RCTs (n=1037): dietary pulses at ~130 g/d lowered LDL cholesterol by -0.17 mmol/L (95% CI -0.25 to -0.09).
Review Mahmud 2026 ✓ PubMed
Mechanistic Insights Into Color and Texture Stability of Frozen Tropical Vegetables: Processing, Modeling, and Preservation Strategies
9 sources cited · 9 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Green Beans

What is Green Beans used for?

Green Beans is most often taken for Modestly lowers LDL cholesterol (pulse family), Improves glycemic control and HbA1c, Supports healthy body weight and satiety, Linked to lower cardiovascular disease risk. A low-calorie pod legume delivering fiber, vitamin K, and folate with the cardiometabolic pedigree of the bean family.

Does Green Beans work — what does the evidence say?

Moderate evidence. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent. Green beans are the immature pods of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), so the strongest human evidence comes from pulse/legume RCTs and large cohort studies: pulse-rich diets modestly lower LDL cholesterol and improve glycemic control, and higher legume and green-vegetable intake tracks with lower cardiovascular and colorectal-cancer risk. As a fresh pod they are far lower in protein and starch than dried beans but still contribute fiber, vitamin K, folate, and potassium with very few calories. The direct trial evidence for snap beans specifically is limited; benefits are extrapolated from the wider legume and dietary-fiber literature.

What is the typical dose of Green Beans?

Standard serving: 1 cup whole, raw (100 g). Eat whole (with skin where edible); favour whole fruit over juice.

Is Green Beans safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Generally very safe. Raw or undercooked pods contain lectins (phytohaemagglutinin) and oligosaccharide FODMAPs that can cause gas or GI upset in sensitive people; brief cooking minimizes both. The meaningful vitamin K1 content can affect INR stability in people on warfarin, who should keep intake consistent rather than avoid it.

How many studies support Green Beans?

NutriDex cites 9 sources for Green Beans, graded "Moderate".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Green Beans: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 16 Sept 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/green-beans

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_green_beans,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Green Beans: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/green-beans},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-09-16}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

← Back to the full dex · All substances