Health Issues
Broad beans are rich in tyramine, and thus should be avoided by those taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
Raw broad beans contain the alkaloids vicine, isouramil and covicine, which can induce hemolytic anemia in patients with the hereditary condition glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. This potentially fatal condition is called favism after the fava bean. Areas of origin of the bean correspond to malarial areas. Some epidemiological and in vitro studies suggest the hemolysis resulting from favism acts as protection from malaria, because certain species of malarial protozoa, such as Plasmodium falciparum, are very sensitive to oxidative damage due to deficiency of the glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme, which would otherwise protect from oxidative damage via production of glutathione reductase.
Broad beans are rich in L-dopa, a substance used medically in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. L-dopa is also a natriuretic agent, which might help in controlling hypertension.
The seed testae contain condensed tannins of the proanthocyanidins type that could have an inhibitory activity on enzymes.
Read more about this topic: Fava
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