How does eating undercooked beans affect the microbiome?

[Alex K Chen]

I don't soak before cooking. :) I just cook with the minimal effort possible. And the end result is edible, though it can result in increased flatulence at times (which I can tolerate).

 

I do wonder... though.. if it results in increased flatulence.. could that also be associated with significant microbiome-related changes?

[Gordo]

When you read about beans you inevitably come across phytic acid, and "anti-nutrients", and the need for long soaks... I suspect there may be misinformation out there but I haven't really investigated much.  How much soaking is beneficial?  My store bought packages of lentils for example say "no soaking is necessary".  But I'm sure for other beans its essential.  Then again, these guys showed that if you build up the right biome, you can break down phytate:

 

Diet shapes the ability of human intestinal microbiota to degrade phytate – in vitrostudies

 

"It was the vegetarians' microbiota that particularly degraded up to 100% phytate"

[Saul]

Hi Gordo!

 

Interesting -- the result suggest that a plant based diet encourages the development of a gut mirobiota that is able to fully digest dietary phytate -- good news for us, if these results are confirmed in with much larger groups of subjects.

 

  --  Saul