SAFE TO USE AS A SOURCE OF L-DOPA WITHOUT TESTING

  CHK Nutrition does not use faba beans as a source of L-dopa due to potential of death or associated disability from their use in the past by other companies.

   While we have never used faba beans as a source of L-dopa we recently became aware of an alternate source of L-dopa that is available over the counter without prescription, “Vicia Faba Bean”.

  Ingestion of Faba Beans can cause, “Favism” in individuals with glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (also known as, G6PD). Symptoms of Favism include hemolytic crisis, kidney failure, acute hemolytic anemia, and in severe cases death.

  For the incidence of G6PD is outlined in the U.S. Army study of 2006¹ which states, “Data were available for 63,302 (54,874 males and 8,428 females) subjects; 2.5% of males and 1.6% of females were deficient, with most having only moderate enzyme deficiency. African American males (12.2%) and females (4.1%), along with Asian males (4.3%), had the highest rates of G6PD deficiency.”

  Use of faba beans in the general population should be done with caution. It would appear that the prudent thing to do prior to administering Vicia Faba Beans as a source of L-dopa would be to test all patients for glucose-6-phosphatase deficiency prior to starting in order to manage favism properly. There is no need for pre-treatment testing with Mucuna.

   Faba Beans are a safe alternative to Mucuna as a source of L-dopa.

1. Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in U.S. Army personnel. Mil Med. 2006 Sep;171(9):905-7 Chinevere TD, Murray CK, Grant E Jr, Johnson GA, Duelm F, Hospenthal DR.