Mung bean protein and muscle strength in vegetarians
What it found
In a small trial in people, a daily mung bean protein supplement led to a small average gain in strength over eight weeks, while the control group lost a little.
The authors say this is early evidence.
What they found
Studies in people
Protein and muscle mass
At the start, people who ate more protein per day tended to have more lean body mass. Lean body mass was also linked to stronger grip and stronger knee muscles.
Strength change
The mung bean group's average strength went up by about 3%, while the control group's went down by about 3%. This difference was small but statistically significant.
Lean mass change
The change in lean body mass did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, 45% of the mung bean group gained more than 0.5 kg of lean mass, compared with 7% of the control group.
Protein intake
The amount of protein people ate from their normal diet did not change during the study and was similar in both groups.
Other findings
Mung bean digestibility
The authors note that mung bean protein is not well digested, which might explain why lean mass did not increase more. They also say the amount of leucine in the supplement may have been too low to trigger muscle building.
What the authors conclude
“This trial provided preliminary evidence that supplementary plant protein (representing approximately 30% additional protein based on the current recommendation of 0.8 g protein/kg/day) increased muscular strength in the absence of exercise and independent of LBM.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that there were strong links between dietary protein, lean body mass, and strength in this group of vegetarians and vegans.
- They say future research should work out the right protein intake for people who eat mainly plant proteins.
- They state that this trial gives early evidence that a plant protein supplement increased muscular strength without exercise and independent of lean body mass.
How it was done
Vegetarian diets may provide less protein, and low protein intake can lead to lower lean body mass and muscle weakness. The authors wanted to see if a mung bean protein supplement could help.
They recruited 37 healthy, underactive vegetarians and vegans, and 25 completed an eight-week trial. One group ate a mung bean protein patty (18 g protein per day) and the other ate a control biscuit (4 g protein per day), with both foods matched for calories.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was small, with only 25 people finishing, so the results may not apply to all vegetarians or to other groups.
- The trial lasted only eight weeks, so it cannot show what happens over a longer period.
- The authors did not measure muscle protein synthesis directly, so they cannot say exactly how the supplement affected muscle.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by undefined <span style="color:gray;font-size:10px;">undefined</span> (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Arizona State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Mung Bean Protein Supplement Improves Muscular Strength in Healthy, Underactive Vegetarian Adults
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Bartholomae E, Incollingo A, Vizcaino M, Wharton C, Johnston CS (2019). Mung Bean Protein Supplement Improves Muscular Strength in Healthy, Underactive Vegetarian Adults. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu11102423Free full textPubMed 31614532DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error