Mung bean compounds and health effects studied
What it found
Mung bean and its extracts have been tested for effects on blood sugar, blood fats, blood pressure, cancer cells, the liver and the immune system, mostly in lab and animal studies.
Only a few small trials in people have been done.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar in people
In a trial of 18 healthy people, cooked mung bean noodles gave low metabolic responses, similar to raw starches from wheat, manihot and smooth peas. In 8 healthy men, mung bean starch had a lower glycemic index (51) than cornstarch (95).
Protein isolate trial
In a double-blind trial of 44 healthy subjects, taking 3.0 g per day of mung bean protein isolate for 8 weeks significantly decreased insulin levels and insulin resistance scores. Plasma glucose showed a downward trend but was not significantly changed.
Prediabetes trial
In a double-blind trial of 45 prediabetes patients, taking 2.5 g of mung bean protein twice daily for 12 weeks stabilized fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels compared to placebo. Triglyceride levels significantly decreased in subjects with hyperlipidemia.
Animal and lab studies
Blood sugar in animals
Rats fed mung bean starch with high amylose had a lower glycemic index than rats fed waxy cornstarch. The mung bean starch diet increased glucose oxidation in diabetic rats, suggesting better insulin action.
Blood pressure in animals
In spontaneously hypertensive rats, a single oral dose of mung bean protein hydrolysate (600 mg/kg) decreased systolic blood pressure by 30.8 mmHg at 6 hours, and the effect lasted at least 8 hours.
Studies in people and animals
Cancer and immune effects
In lab tests, mung bean peptides, proteins and phenolic acids showed dose-dependent anti-proliferative effects against several cancer cell lines. In mice, aqueous extracts of fermented mung bean delayed breast cancer formation and reduced tumor cell division.
What the authors conclude
“The mung bean contains abundant nutrients and bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols, polysaccharides, and polypeptides, and it possesses various pharmacological properties.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the mung bean contains abundant nutrients and bioactive compounds and possesses various pharmacological properties.
- They suggest that consumption of mung bean-based functional products and nutraceuticals could be considered an alternative food, not just in Asian countries but also in other countries.
- They advise that further research is needed to unravel other main functional components and to understand how food processing methods affect the physiochemical properties of the mung bean.
How it was done
The authors wanted to pull together research on the bioactive compounds in mung bean, because a detailed compilation was lacking. They also wanted to show how mung bean might prevent disease and encourage its use as a functional food.
They reviewed published studies on mung bean polyphenols, polysaccharides and peptides, including lab tests, animal experiments and a small number of human trials. The human trials included 18 healthy people eating mung bean noodles, 8 healthy men given mung bean starch, 44 healthy subjects taking mung bean protein isolate, 45 prediabetes patients taking mung bean protein, and children with diarrhea given a mung bean-based rehydration solution.
What it can’t tell you
- Most of the studies in this review were done in lab dishes or animals, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- Only a few small clinical trials in people have been done, so the health effects in humans are not well established.
- The review cannot show whether mung bean prevents any disease, because the studies looked at markers like blood sugar or blood pressure, not long-term outcomes.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by China key research and development program (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- China Agricultural University, China; Institute of Economic Crops, China
The paper
- Title
- Mung Bean ( Vigna radiata L.): Bioactive Polyphenols, Polysaccharides, Peptides, and Health Benefits
- 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
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Hou D, Yousaf L, Xue Y, et al (2019). Mung Bean ( Vigna radiata L.): Bioactive Polyphenols, Polysaccharides, Peptides, and Health Benefits. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu11061238Free full textPubMed 31159173DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error