Legume intake and gallstone risk: results from a case-control study

As legume intake was recently shown to increase biliary cholesterol saturation, it may be a risk factor for gallstone disease. Data from a case-control study in The Netherlands were analysed to confirm this hypothesis. A negative association was found between legume intake (including green beans) and gallstone risk. This appeared not to be explained by diminished legume intake in gallstone cases under the influence of gastrointestinal symptoms. We hypothesize that components from legume pulses (seeds) and pods may have opposite effects on the risk of gallstone development.