Black bean is an important legume packed with various imperative nutrients. It is also known as turtle bean due to their hard, shell like structure. It has been used for centuries for various medicinal uses.

Types

• Basically two types of black beans are widely available in market. One type is naturally dried beans and the other type is the processed canned black beans
• Generally it has seen that the natural dried black beans are relatively higher in all nutrients than the processed canned beans except fat and sodium
• Dried black beans can be stored for a long period of time
• Whereas dried black beans are relatively less expensive than canned beans
• Canned beans are ready to use whereas dried beans took long time to cook

Nutritional profile

• It contains lesser amount of carbohydrates but significantly rich in dietary fiber
• It contains desirable amount of proteins and composed of various important amino acids thus it is considered as an important source of plant protein
• It contains negligible amount of fat thus it is often called as low fat food
• It is packed with several important vitamins which include Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9
• It contains several important minerals as well, such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, selenium and manganese

• It is also composed of various phytonutrients that offer several nutraceutical activity

Biological activity

Antioxidant activity

It exhibits powerful antioxidant activity that helps in decreasing the level of free radicals in body, as a result helps to protect the body from their harmful consequences

Anti-inflammatory activity

• It has potent anti-inflammatory activity that helps in preventing long term inflammation by decreasing the level of inflammatory markers within body
• It also helps in preventing swelling and pain

Anti-carcinogenic activity

• It exerts potent anti-carcinogenic activity that helps in reducing the prevalence of carcinoma
• Its selenium content plays vital role in stimulating the activity of liver enzyme that helps in detoxifying cancer causing compounds in body
• It also helps in lessening tumor growth rate
• It helps in protecting the DNA from damages, which is also responsible for reducing the risk of developing cancers whereas folic acid present in black bean is also related with promoting the synthesis and repairing of DNA thus helps in lowering the susceptibility of DNA mutation as a result decreases the formation of cancerous cells

• It is also very effective for hindering the growth of malignant cells in body by inducing apoptosis and helps in preventing metastasis as well
• It is very effective for decreasing the prevalence of colorectal cancer

Hypotensive activity

• It is widely used as an imperative remedial action for elevated blood pressure
• Being a low sodium food it can be safely included in the diet without the fear of developing hypertension
• It is rich in potassium which is also considered as an important feature for preventing hypertension because potassium helps in dilating the blood vessels which subsequently reduces high blood pressure and also promotes smooth blood flow   
• Moreover consumption of black beans on a regular basis helps you to keep your blood pressure level in check

Health benefits

Role on digestive health

• It is traditionally used as an important preventive measure for various digestive issues
• It contains adequate amount of proteins and fibers both of which are extremely important for proper functioning of digestive tract
• Its fiber content specially soluble fiber content helps in absorbing water within the stool as result makes the stool soft whereas it also helps in improving the bulkiness of stool which ultimately helps in smooth defecation as a result lowers the susceptibility of constipation

• It helps to improve colonic health too
• It is also related with promoting the growth of intestinal beneficial microbes which is accountable for improving overall gut health

Role on nervous system

• Consumption of black bean is very effective for promoting the health and activity of both central and peripheral nervous system
• It is closely associated with protecting the nerve cells from oxidative damages thus helps in promoting their activity
• B vitamins present in black beans specially Vitamin B6 help in improving brain’s activity
• It helps to contribute various important amino acids to the body which are essentially required by the nervous system to work properly
• Folic acid or vitamin B9 is another important nutrient of black bean help in improving the health of nervous system as it has seen that deficiency of folic acid may increase the level of homosystine in body, which is considered as dangerous precursor to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease etc

Role on prenatal health

• It plays vital role in improving prenatal health and all the credit goes to it folic acid content
• It helps in protecting the infant within the womb

• It is also associated with promoting the growth and development of fetus specially the growth of its brain and spinal cord
• It also helps in reducing the risk of developing birth defects
• Moreover it is better to consume black beans during gestation for approaching a positive pregnancy outcome

Role on skeletal system

• Individual who want to obtain a healthy skeletal system should try black beans
• It contains various important nutrients, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc and copper, all of which are very essential for maintaining proper bone structure as well as strength
• Calcium and phosphorus are extremely important for healthy bone formation
• Zinc and iron play vital role in maintaining the elasticity and the strength of bones as well as joints
• Whereas magnesium is involved in bone metabolism
• It is also associated with improving bone mass and density thus reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis later in life 

Role on reproductive system

• It has been traditionally used for improving fertility
• Molybdenum is an important trace element found in black beans, which help to make it a super food for this purpose
• It plays vital role in preventing erectile dysfunction thus helps to reduce impotence
• It is closely associated with increasing energy during sexual activities

• Whereas it also helps in improving libido

Therapeutic uses

It has been extensively used for various therapeutic purposes –

• It is widely used as an important weight reducing aid. Its protein and fiber contents are responsible for delaying stomach emptying which ultimately helps to keep an individual full for long period of time as result minimizes calorie intake by hindering appetite thus facilitates weight reduction
• It helps to decrease cholesterol concentration in body
• Its cholesterol reducing activity is also related with decreasing the prevalence of arterial hardening by inhibiting fat deposition as result reduces the risk of heart attacks  
• It helps in promoting blood circulation and its iron content is also very effective for reducing the prevalence of anemia
• Proteins present in black beans play vital role in promoting the growth and development of muscles and improves endurance as well
• Its B vitamins help in boosting up the overall metabolism of the body
• It is also very useful for reducing the risk of developing diabetes mellitus

Risk factors

Excessive consumption of black beans may causes various digestive issues especially flatulence thus it is better to consume it as per recommendation

Abdulrahman, B.O., Bala, M. and Bello, O.M., 2020. Bioactive Compounds of Black Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Bioactive Compounds in Underutilized Vegetables and Legumes, pp.1-20.

Feitosa, S., Greiner, R., Meinhardt, A.K., Müller, A., Almeida, D.T. and Posten, C., 2018. Effect of traditional household processes on iron, zinc and copper bioaccessibility in black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Foods, 7(8), p.123.

Mojica, L., Berhow, M. and de Mejia, E.G., 2017. Black bean anthocyanin-rich extracts as food colorants: Physicochemical stability and antidiabetes potential. Food chemistry, 229, pp.628-639.

Monk, J.M., Lepp, D., Wu, W., Pauls, K.P., Robinson, L.E. and Power, K.A., 2017. Navy and black bean supplementation primes the colonic mucosal microenvironment to improve gut health. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry, 49, pp.89-100.

Zhang, C., Monk, J.M., Lu, J.T., Zarepoor, L., Wu, W., Liu, R., Pauls, K.P., Wood, G.A., Robinson, L., Tsao, R. and Power, K.A., 2014. Cooked navy and black bean diets improve biomarkers of colon health and reduce inflammation during colitis. British Journal of Nutrition, 111(9), pp.1549-1563.