Research

Micronutrients & recovery

High levels of dietary trypsin inhibitors in raw soybeans and legumes significantly reduce protein and amino acid digestibility (by up to 50%) and protein quality (by up to 100%) in animal models due to pancreatic hypertrophy and endogenous amino acid loss.

If you eat soybeans, kidney beans, or other legumes, ensure they are properly cooked (boiled, autoclaved, or roasted). Raw or under-processed legumes contain trypsin inhibitors that can block protein digestion and reduce nutrient absorption by up to 50%. Processing inactivates these inhibitors, making the protein much more available to your body.

GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
The presence of high levels of dietary trypsin inhibitors from soyabeans, kidney beans or other grain legumes have been reported to cause substantial reductions in protein and amino acid digestibility (up to 50 %) and protein quality (up to 100 %) in rats and/or pigs.
G. Sarwar Gilani et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2012

Why this rating

Supported by multiple animal studies (rats, pigs, poultry) with consistent findings on digestibility reduction, though human data is limited to specific outbreaks or small studies.

Source

Impact of Antinutritional Factors in Food Proteins on the Digestibility of Protein and the Bioavailability of Amino Acids and on Protein Quality

G. Sarwar Gilani et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2012

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