BENEFITS OF LUPIN
✓ Source of protein
✓ Helps with diabetes
✓ Reduces cholesterol levels
✓ Supports gut health
✓ Helps with weight loss
What is lupin?
Lupin is a plant belonging to the Fabaceae family, or legumes, such as lentils, fenugreek or carob. The genus Lupinus includes many varieties such as the white (Lupinus albus), the blue (Lupinus angustifolius) and the yellow (Lupinus luteus).
They are cultivated for their seeds, intended for human consumption, as a forage crop and as green manure. Other varieties contain alkaloids (lupuline) and can be toxic.
Cultivated since antiquity, the lupin is native to the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East, where it favors a temperate climate. Some varieties were also cultivated in North America and in the Andes. Reaching up to 1.5 m in height, the plant produces spikes on which flowers of many colors appear. Once faded, they give way to brownish-yellow seeds, grouped in hairy pods.
Naturally gluten-free, lupin seeds have excellent nutritional value. Composed of up to 50% plant proteins, they also contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.
They also contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as a wide range of essential amino acids: lysine, methionine, cystine, tryptophan…
Thanks to this composition, the lupin is now recognized for helping manage diabetes, reducing blood cholesterol levels, supporting gut health, and promoting weight loss.
Nutritional composition
- Amino acids
- Vitamins : A, B1, B2, B3, B9, C, E
- Minerals and trace elements : potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, manganese, calcium, iron, selenium, copper
- Fatty acids : omega-3, omega-6
- Proteins
- Lipids
- Carbohydrates
- Fiber
- Water
Benefits of lupin
🌿 Source of protein
Lupin seeds are above all an excellent source of plant proteins, with an average of 40 g of protein per 100 g. That is much more than beans, lentils, cereals, or even soy.
Lupin thus represents a very interesting alternative to animal proteins as part of a vegetarian diet, vegan or plant-based. It is also ideal for athletes who want to benefit from a good protein intake without consuming meat.
Moreover, its proteins are highly digestible, that is easy to digest, and bioavailable. As a result, they can be used by the body shortly after ingestion.
This review from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil) examined the digestibility and bioavailability of the proteins contained in the seeds depending on the lupin varieties.
🍭 Helps with diabetes
In addition to plant proteins, lupin seeds contain a significant amount of fiber (27 g per 100 g), much of which is soluble fiber. This high content explains their usefulness in improving type 2 diabetes and reducing blood glucose (blood sugar levels).
Indeed, soluble fibers have a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels. By forming a viscous gel in the stomach, they slow the absorption of glucose, lower insulin levels and improve sensitivity to it. Lupin fibers thus limit insulin spikes after meals.
This study from UTE University (Dominican Republic), conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes, shows the benefits of lupin on blood glucose.
This other study from the Higher University of San Andrés (Bolivia), carried out on rats, shows how lupin stimulates insulin release.
🍳 Reduces cholesterol levels
Thanks to their high fiber content, lupin seeds increase HDL cholesterol levels (or “good cholesterol”), which allows the elimination of excess cholesterol. In addition, they lower LDL cholesterol levels (or “bad cholesterol”) by limiting lipid accumulation (fats). Thus, the seeds also prevent certain conditions such as hepatic steatosis, which is linked to a buildup of fat in the liver.
The seeds also contain vitamin C, which plays an essential role in the metabolism of cholesterol, magnesium, zinc, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that stimulate the body’s production of “good cholesterol”.
This study from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), conducted on hamsters, shows the cholesterol-lowering effect of whole lupin seeds.
♻️ Supports gut health
Consumption of lupin seeds has beneficial effects on gut health. On the one hand, their fibers improve intestinal transit, contribute to digestive comfort, and relieve certain disorders such as constipation and diarrhea. On the other hand, the seeds enrich the microbiota (formerly intestinal flora) in the same way as prebiotic foods.
Thus, this plant increases the amount of bifidobacteria that participate in carbohydrate digestion and help regulate the inflammatory process. At the same time, it reduces the presence of bacteria of the genus Clostridia, which are responsible for diarrhea and inflammation of the colon.
This study from Deakin University (Australia), conducted in healthy men, shows how lupin contributes beneficially to intestinal health.
🏃🏻♂️ Helps with weight loss
Like psyllium and chia seeds, lupin seeds can be a valuable aid for losing weight. Indeed, the fibers they contain have a dual action : on the one hand, they slow digestion and the nutrient absorption process; on the other hand, they act as natural appetite suppressants by enhancing the feeling of satiety, thereby limiting the urge to snack during the day.
They also contain tryptophan, an essential amino acid that produces a feeling of satiety. It is also the precursor of serotonin, a hormone that helps regulate, among other things, appetite and satiety.
This study from the University of Western Australia (Australia), conducted in humans, shows how lupin consumption promotes satiety.
How to consume lupin?
Lupin seeds
Lupin seeds contain a bitter substance that is unpleasant to the palate. To remove it, it is important to soak them in water for 48 to 72 hours before cooking them. Then cook them for between 25 and 45 minutes in salted boiling water.
Cooked, they are added to salads, soups, stews, vegetarian meatballs and patties… You can also prepare them in brine or in tramousse, a typical Mediterranean basin recipe served as an appetizer. Finally, they are ideal for making hummus, tapenade and homemade spreads.
To avoid the long soaking and cooking step, it is also possible to buy jarred lupin seeds, ready to eat.
Lupin flour
Like buckwheat, rice, or corn flour, lupin flour has the advantage of being gluten-free. It is therefore suitable for the diet of people with celiac disease. It is used in cookie and cake recipes, for baked goods, loaf cakes, pancakes, crêpes…
Use about 1/3 lupin flour and 2/3 other flours. It has a pleasant nutty flavor that pairs well with many sweet or savory dishes.
Like chickpea and soy flour, lupin flour is an excellent alternative to egg yolk for thickening your preparations (pastries, quiches, mayonnaise…). Mix 10 g of flour into 40 ml of water to replace the equivalent of one egg.
Consume sustainably: prioritize local, organic, and fair-trade lupin
✓ Australia, Poland and Russia are now the main producing countries of lupin seeds. France, for its part, produces about 15,000 tonnes/year. The sweet, non-bitter varieties are the most widely cultivated. Most of the production comes from the west of the country, such as in Poitou-Charentes, the leading lupin-producing region.
✓ If you can, therefore favor lupin seeds grown in France to support local producers. Prefer seeds from organic farming and fair-trade supply chains.
Dosage
Because they contain potential allergens (conglutins), lupin seeds should be consumed in moderation. Although there is no real recommended dosage, avoid eating them in excess.
Lupin seeds : 20 g per person
Lupin flour : 25 to 30% of the preparation
Contraindications and side effects
Lupin consumption has certain contraindications :
- Due to a possible cross-allergy, people allergic to peanuts, fava beans, soy, lentils, and peas should avoid consuming them.
In the case of excessive consumption of the seeds, the following side effects may occur :
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Allergic reaction
If you experience side effects, stop consuming them and consult a doctor.
History, cultivation and market
Like buckwheat, lupin is an excellent green manure : it is capable of capturing nitrogen from the air and returning it to the soil. It is an easy-to-grow plant that adapts to many soils, even those poor in nutrients or acidic.
To enrich the soil, lupin has proteoid roots that make phosphorus available and usable by subsequent crops. In this way, it advantageously replaces other more demanding crops.
This legume appears to be a crop of the future compared with soy and corn, which are very water-hungry and contribute to deforestation worldwide.
Report produced by Julia Perez
Sources and scientific studies
Tomasz Stępkowski, Colin E. Hughes, Ian J. Law, Łukasz Markiewicz, Dorota Gurda, Agnieszka Chlebicka, and Lionel Moulin, 2007. Diversification of Lupine Bradyrhizobium Strains: Evidence from Nodulation Gene Trees.
Márcia Regina Pereira Monteiro, Aline Costa, Suellen Fabiane Campos, Mauro Ramalho Silva, Cassiano Silva, Hercia Martino, Marialice Pinto Coelho Silvestre, 2014. Evaluation of the chemical composition, protein quality and digestibility of lupin (Lupinus albus and Lupinus angustifolius).
Marco Vinicio Fornasini Salvador, Sandra Victoria Abril-Ulloa, José Patricio Beltrán Carreño, Elena Villacrés, Lourdes Cuadrado-Merino, Francisco Robalino, Rolando Sánchez, Paul Stalin Ricaurte Ortiz, Erika B Muñoz, Napoleón Benjamín Benítez Loza, Manuel E Baldeón, 2019. Efficacy of a Lupinus mutabilis Sweet snack as complement to conventional type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment.
Silvia Zambrana, Lena C E Lundqvist, Orlando Mamani, Sergiu-Bogdan Catrina, Eduardo Gonzales, Claes-Göran Östenson, 2018. Lupinus mutabilis Extract Exerts an Anti-Diabetic Effect by Improving Insulin Release in Type 2 Diabetic Goto-Kakizaki Rats.
Gustavo Guadagnucci Fontanari, José Paschoal Batistuti, Robison José da Cruz, Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva, José Alfredo Gomes Arêas, 2012. Cholesterol-lowering effect of whole lupin (Lupinus albus) seed and its protein isolate.
Stuart C Smith, Rachel Choy, Stuart K Johnson, Ramon S Hall, Alida C M Wildeboer-Veloo, Gjalt W Welling, 2006. Lupin kernel fiber consumption modifies fecal microbiota in healthy men as determined by rRNA gene fluorescent in situ hybridization.
Ya P Lee, Trevor A Mori, Sofia Sipsas, Anne Barden, Ian B Puddey, Valerie Burke, Ramon S Hall, Jonathan M Hodgson, 2006. Lupin-enriched bread increases satiety and reduces energy intake acutely.
