Chickpea nutrients and potential effects on heart disease, diabetes and cancer
What it found
Chickpeas provide protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and studies in people and animals suggest they may lower cholesterol, improve gut health and help with weight control.
The evidence for preventing diseases like cancer or heart disease is still limited.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol levels in people
In a study of thirty obese adults over 8 weeks, those eating a chickpea-based diet saw total cholesterol drop from 215 to 182 mg/dl. A smaller drop from 181 to 173 mg/dl was seen in the group not eating pulses.
Gut health and fullness
When forty-two people ate about 104 g of chickpeas daily for 12 weeks, they reported feeling fuller. In another study, nineteen people eating 140 g daily for 6 weeks had more regular bowel movements and softer stools.
Animal and lab studies
Cholesterol in rats
Rats fed a high-fat diet plus chickpeas for 8 months weighed 562 g compared with 654 g for rats on the high-fat diet alone. The chickpea-fed rats also had lower levels of blood fats linked to artery disease.
Cancer in lab tests
A compound found in chickpeas stopped stomach cancer cells from growing in lab dishes and reduced tumour growth when those cells were put into mice. In rats, adding chickpea flour to the diet reduced early signs of colon damage by 64 %.
Other findings
Nutrients in chickpeas
Chickpeas are made up of about 80 % carbohydrates and protein by dry weight. They contain fibre, unsaturated fats, B vitamins, vitamin A precursors, iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium. They lack certain sulphur-containing amino acids, which can be made up by eating cereals alongside them.
Reducing natural blockers
Raw chickpeas contain compounds that can interfere with digestion, such as phytic acid and enzyme blockers. Soaking, cooking, boiling or pressure-cooking the seeds reduces or removes these substances.
What the authors conclude
- They say chickpeas are an affordable source of protein, fibre, vitamins and fats that may help lower the risk of chronic diseases.
- They note that scientists do not yet fully understand how individual chickpea components prevent disease.
- They call for well-designed trials in people to provide stronger proof of direct benefits from eating chickpeas.
How it was done
Chickpeas have been eaten since ancient times but have received less research attention than crops like wheat or barley. The authors wanted to gather existing information linking chickpea nutrients to potential benefits for human diseases.
The authors gathered and examined published research on the nutritional makeup of chickpeas and their possible effects on human health. They looked at studies involving people, animals and lab tests to see how chickpea components might influence conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
What it can’t tell you
- This work gathers past studies rather than testing chickpeas directly, so it cannot prove cause and effect on its own.
- Many findings come from rats or lab dishes, which cannot show exactly what happens when people eat chickpeas.
- Studies that follow people over time can show a link between eating chickpeas and better health, but not that chickpeas caused the improvement.
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.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- 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/S0007114512000797Free full textPubMed 22916806DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error