Chickpea nutrition and possible health effects reviewed
What it found
Chickpea is a good source of protein, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and may have helpful effects on heart disease, type 2 diabetes, digestive diseases and some cancers.
The paper is a review, so it pulls together existing knowledge rather than running new tests in people.
What they found
Protein and amino acids
Chickpea is a good source of carbohydrates and protein, and its protein quality is considered better than that of other pulses. It has significant amounts of all the essential amino acids except the sulphur-containing ones, which cereals in the daily diet can make up for.
Carbohydrates and fibre
Starch is the main storage carbohydrate, followed by dietary fibre, oligosaccharides and simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose.
Fats and sterols
Chickpea has only a little fat but is rich in unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and oleic acids. Its oil contains the sterols beta-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol.
Minerals and vitamins
Chickpea seeds contain calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and especially potassium. They are also a good source of riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, folate and beta-carotene, which the body uses to make vitamin A.
Anti-nutrients and cooking
Like other pulses, chickpea seeds contain anti-nutritional factors. Different cooking techniques can reduce or remove these.
Possible health benefits
The paper says chickpea may have several health benefits, and eaten with other pulses and cereals it could have helpful effects on heart disease, type 2 diabetes, digestive diseases and some cancers.
What the authors conclude
“Overall, chickpea is an important pulse crop with a diverse array of potential nutritional and health benefits.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say chickpea is an important pulse crop with a diverse array of potential nutritional and health benefits.
- They suggest that, in combination with other pulses and cereals, it could have beneficial effects on some important human diseases such as CVD, type 2 diabetes, digestive diseases and some cancers.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a review of existing knowledge, not a new study in people, so it cannot show that eating chickpea causes any change in health.
- The possible effects on heart disease, diabetes, digestive diseases and cancers are described as potential, not proven.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, India
The paper
- Title
- Nutritional quality and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): a review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Jukanti AK, Gaur PM, Gowda CL, Chibbar RN (2012). Nutritional quality and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): a review. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S0007114512000797PubMed 22916806DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error