White Kidney Bean Phaseolus vulgaris

Spikes in blood sugar and increased insulin levels begins the progression to insulin insensitivity and type 2 diabetes. Common staples in the American diet, white bread, rice and potatoes consist of monosaccharides which are absorbed quickly in the intestine. These "high glycemic foods" can also be key factors in the development of cardiovascular disease and obesity. Many studies have shown that Phaseolus vulgaris, the common white bean is an inhibitor of alpha-amylase, an enzyme that promotes the breakdown of starch in the human gastrointestinal tract. Ingestion of this inhibitor helps prevent the breakdown of the carbohydrate in the intestine in foods so the less sugars are absorbed as fat cells for future use. Raspberries (Rubus idaeus ssp. idaeus) and strawberries (Fragaria spp.) contain anthocyanins which inhibit a-amylase activity and ellagitannins and have shown similar effects. The most amount of research along these lines has been done on white beans. ¹