Faba Bean Protein and G6PD Deficiency (Favism)
The short answer
Pump House Faba Bean Protein is not suitable for people with G6PD deficiency (favism). Faba beans are the classic trigger for favism, and while the isolation process removes most of the part of the bean where the problem compounds sit, they have not been tested for in this product. So we label it as not suitable, and we would rather say that plainly than leave you to guess.
If you have G6PD deficiency, or think you might, please choose a different protein and speak to your GP or haematologist if you are unsure what is safe for you.
What is G6PD deficiency?
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is one of the most common enzyme deficiencies in the world, affecting an estimated 400 million people, and it often goes undiagnosed. The enzyme protects red blood cells. Without enough of it, certain triggers can cause red blood cells to break down (haemolytic anaemia), which can be serious. It is more common in people with family heritage from Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia, and it affects men more often than women.
Why faba beans in particular?
Faba beans (also called broad beans or fava beans, Vicia faba) naturally contain two compounds, vicine and convicine. In people with G6PD deficiency these can trigger haemolysis. The reaction is so closely linked to the bean that the condition is often called favism, after it.
Doesn't making a protein isolate remove them?
Largely, in principle. Faba bean protein isolate is not ground-up beans: the protein is separated from the rest of the bean, and most of the carbohydrate and water-soluble fraction, where vicine and convicine sit, is removed. Our isolate contains about 2g of total carbohydrate per 100g, which shows how much of the rest of the bean has gone.
But "largely removed in principle" is not the same as "tested and confirmed". No vicine or convicine testing has been carried out on this product, so residual levels are unknown. For someone with G6PD deficiency, that uncertainty is the whole point, which is why the product is labelled as not suitable.
What this means in practice
- The product page and the pack carry the warning: Not suitable for people with G6PD deficiency (favism).
- If you have G6PD deficiency, do not use faba bean protein. A different protein source is the safer choice.
- If you are not sure whether you have G6PD deficiency, for example because of a family history, ask your GP before using it.
- If we ever hold vicine and convicine test results for this product, we will update this page.
We explain more about why questions like this belong with your doctor rather than a website in Supplements and a Medical Condition? Ask Your Doctor, Not the Internet.
For everyone else
If G6PD deficiency does not apply to you, faba bean protein isolate is a strong plant protein: typically 87.6g of protein per 100g (specification minimum 85% on a dry basis), free from the 14 UK declarable allergens, and batch tested for gluten, lupin and soya. Faba bean is a legume, so anyone with a diagnosed legume allergy should also speak to their GP before using it. See Faba Bean Protein and the 14 UK Declarable Allergens and Is Faba Bean Protein a Complete Protein? for more.
