Gas from legumes and greens distends the colon, keeps blood from reaching the brain and causes dizziness that is wrongly diagnosed as anaemia; the human body is not equipped to digest the hulls of fava beans, lentils or beans.
Original statement
انتفاخ القولون بتاعك اللي هيمنع الدم يوصل دماغك اللي يخليك بعد ما تقوم من ركوع وترفع راسك تدوخ تقوم من مكان اعدل مكان اعلى تدوخ وفي الاخر تقول لي انا عندي انيميا انيميه ايه انت عندك 4 جرام حديد في وزنك 100 كيلو 4 جرام حديد بس اللي انت عمال تقول نقص مخزون مش مخزون حديد الدم مش واصل دماغك عشان في رجليك الدم مش واصل دماغك عشان متحوش في بطنك بطنك الكبيره دايسه على مروحه هل انت جسمك مؤهل لهضم قشره الفول او الفول نفسه اصلا لا قشره العدس لا قشره الفاصوليا لا لا لا
verbatim according to source. Translation by the project; the Arabic wording is authoritative.
Translation
Gas from legumes and greens distends the colon, keeps blood from reaching the brain and causes dizziness that is wrongly diagnosed as anaemia; the human body is not equipped to digest the hulls of fava beans, lentils or beans.
Origin
- Source status
- Video transcript (own words)
- Attribution
- Elawady (machine transcript)
- Video
- الحقيقه والسراب العدل في الدنيا؟ حقيقه الخضار؟ (Open source)
- Published
- 5 November 2025
- Timestamp
- 0:23:47 (location in the original video’s automatic YouTube caption track; confirms where the words occur, not who speaks)
- Attribution uncertainty
- Archive transcript (YouTube captions or AI-generated); wording may contain transcription errors; no timestamps available.
- Claimed mechanism
Colonic distension 'traps' blood in the abdomen.
- Claimed health effect
Dizziness on standing, misdiagnosed 'anaemia'.
- Population concerned
Everyone
- Geographic restriction by Elawady
none found
Scientific assessment
Mostly false – Essential parts of the statement are not supported by the evidence or are strongly exaggerated.
Certainty of evidence: moderate – Further research may still affect the assessment.
1. What was claimed?
Gas causes dizziness that is misdiagnosed as anaemia; hulls are indigestible.
2. What is demonstrably correct?
Hull fibre is not digested by human enzymes and is partly fermented by colon bacteria, which produces gas; bloating is common after legumes.
3. What is wrong or exaggerated?
Indigestible fibre is not harmful in itself (see C-VEG-01). There is no evidence that intestinal gas reduces blood flow to the brain or explains laboratory-confirmed anaemia.
4. What remains unclear?
Not studied directly.
5. Which studies support it?
None.
6. Which studies contradict it?
Fibre meta-analyses (Reynolds 2019, I-VEG-01) and fermentation physiology (Koh 2016, I-VEG-03); bean feeding trials showing mostly mild, transient gas (Winham 2011, I-LEG-125; Wilson 2022, I-LEG-126: 87.4% no-to-mild GI symptoms); Egyptian anaemia data measured by haemoglobin (Azzam 2025, I-LEG-127: 49% of pregnant women; Austin 2012, I-LEG-128: over 52% of toddlers in 2005).
7. What applies to Germany and Europe?
Not specific.
8. What is known about Egypt?
Anaemia measured by haemoglobin is very common in Egypt (about half of pregnant women and toddlers in the cited studies), so attributing dizziness or fatigue to intestinal gas risks missing real anaemia.
9. What practical conclusion is appropriate?
Dizziness and fatigue should be investigated with a blood count; anaemia should not be dismissed as 'gas'.
Assessment details
- Rationale for certainty of evidence
Anaemia is defined and diagnosed by haemoglobin concentration (WHO 2024 guideline on haemoglobin cut-offs), so symptoms caused by gas cannot be 'wrongly diagnosed as anaemia' when a blood test is done. Laboratory-defined anaemia is very common in Egypt (about 49% of pregnant women, I-LEG-127; over half of toddlers in 2005, I-LEG-128). No study links colonic gas to reduced brain perfusion, and bean-feeding trials show gas is usually mild and transient (I-LEG-125, I-LEG-126). The minor statement that human enzymes do not digest hull fibre is correct.
- Source quality
Single machine transcript; mechanistic statement without evidence.
- Regional transferability
Not region-specific.
- Individual exceptions
People with IBS experience bloating and pain from fermentable carbohydrates (see C-LEG-12).
- Regional scope of the claim
- general (biological/medical)
- Last reviewed
- 26 October 2026 provisional
Scientific evidence in detail
Scientifically refuted – High-quality evidence shows the opposite, or the claim contradicts well-established physiology.
Research question: Does intestinal gas from legumes and greens reduce brain blood flow and cause dizziness that is misdiagnosed as anaemia, and are legume hulls indigestible in a harmful way?
Research question in detail (PECO)
- Population
- General population, including women, pregnant women and children in Egypt
- Intervention or exposure
- Legume/greens intake and intestinal gas
- Comparison
- Low-fermentable diets
- Geographic scope
- universal physiology; anaemia burden Egypt-specific
- Outcomes
- Dizziness/syncope
- Laboratory-defined anaemia
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
Study results as reported by the authors. Our assessment follows below.
What speaks for the claim?
No high-quality evidence supporting the claim was found.
What speaks against the claim?
Anaemia in pregnant women in Egypt
Azzam A et al.. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2025 · PMID 39810098 · DOI 10.1186/s12884-024-07111-9 Meta-analysisabstract checkednewly addedAbout half of pregnant women in Egyptian studies are anaemic by haemoglobin.
- Actual result
- 49% (42-57); 18 studies, 14,548 women.
- Methodological quality
- moderate
- Relevance
- direct to the safety risk of dismissing anaemia
- Limitations
- Heterogeneous studies.
Anaemia in Egyptian toddlers
Austin AM et al.. Matern Child Nutr 2012 · PMID 21951327 · DOI 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2011.00339.x Cross-sectional studyabstract checkednewly addedOver half of Egyptian toddlers were anaemic by haemoglobin in 2005.
- Actual result
- 37.04% (2000) to >52% (2005).
- Methodological quality
- moderate (national surveys)
- Relevance
- direct
- Limitations
- Older data.
Lentil meals for 8 weeks
Wilson SMG et al.. Nutr Res 2022 · PMID 36122501 · DOI 10.1016/j.nutres.2022.08.002 Randomised controlled trialabstract checkednewly addedRegular lentil meals caused mostly no or mild GI symptoms.
- Actual result
- 87.4% no-to-mild symptoms.
- Methodological quality
- moderate (small RCT)
- Relevance
- direct to the gas premise
- Limitations
- Small.
What does the overall evidence say?
Editorial assessment based on the studies above – not itself a study result.
Which position is better supported?
Anaemia is defined and diagnosed by haemoglobin measurement and is very common in Egypt; there is no evidence that intestinal gas mimics or explains it. Legume gas is usually mild and transient.
Why some studies weigh more
Diagnostic definitions (WHO) and measured prevalence data directly contradict the misdiagnosis claim; no supporting study exists.
Is a causal relationship established? Not established No study links colonic gas to reduced brain perfusion or to laboratory anaemia.
Remaining uncertainty
Rare vasovagal symptoms with severe distension are not addressed by the claim.
Justified conclusion
The claim is incompatible with how anaemia is diagnosed and risks missing real, common anaemia.
Does this depend on the country?
- General biological effects
- Universal physiology.
- Eating habits
- High legume intake; gas complaints common.
- Origin of the food
- Not relevant.
- Contaminants
- Not applicable.
- National production conditions
- Not applicable.
- Legal rules
- Not applicable.
- Actual monitoring data
- Egyptian anaemia surveys and meta-analysis (I-LEG-127, I-LEG-128).
A regional difference that changes the conclusion is not supported by robust data.
Statistical re-check
- CI plausibility; absolute burden – 49% (42-57) mildly asymmetric, consistent with transformed pooling; child anaemia rose by >=15 points (I-LEG-128). recalculated
Certainty of the overall evidence (GRADE, simplified)
- Main outcome
- Gas as cause of anaemia-like dizziness/misdiagnosis
- Starting level
- low (observational studies)
- Reasons for downgrading
- indirectness (no direct studies)
- Reasons for upgrading
- incompatible with the diagnostic definition of anaemia
- Result
- moderate
Simplified assessment by a single reviewer, following the GRADE approach; not a formal GRADE panel. GRADE rates the body of evidence for one outcome, not individual studies.
Clinical guidelines and official statements checked
- WHO: Guideline on haemoglobin cutoffs to define anaemia in individuals and populations (2024) · Original publication
Provides evidence-informed normative statements on the use of haemoglobin concentration to assess anaemia in individuals and populations (cut-off values not read on the landing page).
Search strategy
Documented literature searches for this review (search strings in the original database syntax).
| Database | Date | Search | Looking for | Hits | Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | 26 October 2026 | (abdominal distension[tiab] OR bloating[tiab] OR intestinal gas[tiab] OR colonic distension[tiab]) AND (cerebral blood flow[tiab] OR syncope[tiab] OR dizziness[tiab] OR orthostatic[tiab]) | supporting evidence | 175 | |
| Europe PMC | 26 October 2026 | (bloating OR flatulence OR "intestinal gas") AND (anaemia OR anemia) AND (dizziness OR "cerebral perfusion" OR syncope) | supporting evidence | 2106 | |
| PubMed | 26 October 2026 | (anemia[ti] OR anaemia[ti]) AND (diagnosis[ti] OR evaluation[ti]) AND (review[pt] OR guideline[pt]) AND (hemoglobin[tiab] OR haemoglobin[tiab]) AND (symptoms[tiab]) | contradicting evidence | 7 | |
| Europe PMC | 26 October 2026 | TITLE:"haemoglobin cutoffs" OR TITLE:"hemoglobin cutoffs" OR TITLE:"haemoglobin thresholds" AND anaemia | contradicting evidence | 12 | |
| PubMed | 26 October 2026 | (flatulence[tiab] OR bloating[tiab] OR gas[ti]) AND (bean*[tiab] OR legume*[tiab] OR pulse*[tiab] OR lentil*[tiab]) AND (adults[tiab] OR participants[tiab]) AND (trial[tiab] OR randomized[tiab] OR feeding[tiab]) | both directions | 16 | |
| PubMed | 26 October 2026 | (anemia[ti] OR anaemia[ti] OR iron deficiency[ti]) AND (Egypt*[ti]) AND (prevalence[tiab]) AND (children[tiab] OR adolescents[tiab] OR women[tiab]) | both directions | 17 | |
| Web (WebSearch/WebFetch) | 26 October 2026 | WHO guideline haemoglobin cutoffs anaemia 2024 (publication page) | guidelines |
Open questions
None material.
How deeply was this checked?
6 linked studies: 0 checked in full text (0 of them with a structured risk-of-bias assessment), 6 on the basis of the abstract, 0 bibliographically only. No formal assessment with two independent reviewers and no independent human expert review has taken place yet.
Last scientific review: 26 October 2026
History of the verdict
- 25 October 2026 · Phase 1 · Initial assessment: Mostly false (low)
- 26 October 2026 · Phase 4 (systematic evidence review) · Verdict changed: Mostly false (low) → Mostly false (moderate)
Certainty raised: the misdiagnosis claim is incompatible with the haemoglobin-based definition of anaemia (WHO 2024 guideline), and new Egyptian data show anaemia affects about half of pregnant women and toddlers, while bean-feeding trials show gas is usually mild. Verdict remains “Mostly false” because the minor statement about undigested hull fibre is correct.
New sources: I-LEG-125 I-LEG-126 I-LEG-127 I-LEG-128
In plain language
Elawady said that gas from beans and vegetables presses on the abdomen, keeps blood from reaching the brain and causes dizziness that doctors mistake for anaemia. We found no evidence for this. Anaemia is diagnosed with a blood test, not from symptoms alone. Gas after beans is normal fermentation of fibre and is usually harmless.
Studies on this claim
Studies supporting the claim (0)
No studies in this group.
Studies contradicting or limiting the claim (6)
-
Fibre and health (Lancet 2019)
Reynolds A et al.. Lancet 2019 · PMID 30638909 · DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9Meta-analysisindependent cross-checkabstract checked★ key studyHigh fibre intake is linked to 15-30% lower death and disease rates; trials show better weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: high · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim
Original publication · Scientific details
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Fibre and NCDs
- How was the study done?
Meta-analyses
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
185 cohorts, 58 RCTs
- What was actually found?
Large benefits
- How large was the observed effect?
15-30% lower risk
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Eat 25-29 g fibre daily.
- What are the study's limitations?
Observational endpoints
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts 'cattle food'
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
High
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Not specific to leafy greens.
-
How gut bacteria use fibre
Koh A et al.. Cell 2016 · PMID 27259147 · DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.041Narrative reviewindependent cross-checkabstract checkedGut bacteria turn fibre into short-chain fatty acids that act as fuel and signals for the body.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim
Original publication · Scientific details
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Explain SCFAs
- How was the study done?
Review
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
Not applicable
- What was actually found?
SCFAs act on host physiology
- How large was the observed effect?
Not applicable
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Fibre feeds beneficial processes.
- What are the study's limitations?
Mechanistic
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts 'useless cellulose'
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
High
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Cannot quantify clinical benefit.
-
Do beans really cause much gas?
Winham DM, Hutchins AM. Nutr J 2011 · PMID 22104320 · DOI 10.1186/1475-2891-10-128Randomised controlled trialindependent cross-checkabstract checkedFewer than half of adults noticed more gas when they started eating beans daily, and it eased over time.
Gas common initially but mild and transient.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim
Original publication · Scientific details
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Assess flatulence from beans.
- How was the study done?
Feeding trials.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
126 adults.
- What was actually found?
<50% more flatulence at first.
- How large was the observed effect?
19% with black-eyed peas.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Bean gas is usually mild.
- What are the study's limitations?
Self-report.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts dramatic gas claims.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Applicable.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
It does not address dizziness or anaemia.
-
Lentil meals for 8 weeks
Wilson SMG et al.. Nutr Res 2022 · PMID 36122501 · DOI 10.1016/j.nutres.2022.08.002Randomised controlled trialindependent cross-checkabstract checkedLentil meals improved insulin resistance, and most participants had no or only mild gut symptoms.
87.4% no-to-mild GI symptoms with lentils.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim
Original publication · Scientific details
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Test lentils on glucose and GI symptoms.
- How was the study done?
RCT.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
30 adults.
- What was actually found?
Better HOMA-IR; mild symptoms.
- How large was the observed effect?
HOMA-IR -1.5 (high dose).
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Lentils are well tolerated by most people.
- What are the study's limitations?
Small; short.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts C-LEG-09/13.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Applicable.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
It does not show long-term outcomes.
-
Anaemia in pregnant women in Egypt
Azzam A et al.. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2025 · PMID 39810098 · DOI 10.1186/s12884-024-07111-9Meta-analysisindependent cross-checkabstract checked★ key studyAbout half of pregnant women in Egyptian studies had anaemia measured by blood tests.
Anaemia (by haemoglobin) affects ~49% of pregnant Egyptian women.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim
Original publication · Scientific details
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Estimate anaemia in pregnancy.
- How was the study done?
Meta-analysis.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
18 studies, 14,548 women.
- What was actually found?
49% anaemic.
- How large was the observed effect?
49% (42-57).
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Anaemia is common and must be diagnosed with a blood test.
- What are the study's limitations?
Heterogeneous studies.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts dismissing anaemia as gas.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Egypt-specific.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
It does not test the gas hypothesis directly.
-
Anaemia in Egyptian toddlers
Austin AM et al.. Matern Child Nutr 2012 · PMID 21951327 · DOI 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2011.00339.xCross-sectional studyindependent cross-checkabstract checkedMeasured anaemia in Egyptian children aged 1-3 years rose from 37% in 2000 to over 52% in 2005.
Over half of Egyptian toddlers anaemic by haemoglobin in 2005.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim
Original publication · Scientific details
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Track child anaemia.
- How was the study done?
National surveys.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
Egyptian children 12-36 months.
- What was actually found?
Over half anaemic in 2005.
- How large was the observed effect?
+15 points.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Children with pallor or tiredness need a blood test.
- What are the study's limitations?
Older data.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts C-LEG-09's reasoning.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Egypt-specific.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
It does not test the gas claim.
No study in this group is marked as key.
Studies with mixed or unclear results (0)
No studies in this group.
Regional context
Germany / EU
Not specific.
Egypt
Anaemia measured by haemoglobin is very common in Egypt (about half of pregnant women and toddlers in the cited studies), so attributing dizziness or fatigue to intestinal gas risks missing real anaemia.
- Pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables on the EU/German market (incl. imports from Egypt)
- Pesticide residues in produce sold on the Egyptian domestic market
- Aflatoxins in groundnuts (peanuts)
- Nitrate in leafy vegetables
- Microbiological safety of fresh produce, herbs and spices
- G6PD deficiency and favism (fava beans)
What applies in my country?
General scientific assessment
Mostly false There is no evidence that intestinal gas mimics or explains anaemia; anaemia is diagnosed with a blood test and is common in Egypt.
The following areas of food safety are relevant to this statement:
- Pesticides and pesticide residues
- Contaminants (heavy metals, PFAS, PCBs, dioxins, nitrate)
- Mycotoxins (mould toxins)
- Pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter, etc.)
Fruit and vegetables · Legumes and nuts
Choose a country to see the checked information for it.
Limits: legal rules describe what is allowed, not what every single food contains. Measurement data come from samples and are meaningful only together with their method details.
Country of residence or purchase Compare with another country
References
- Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.. Reynolds A et al.. Lancet 2019 · PMID 30638909 · DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9
- From Dietary Fiber to Host Physiology: Short-Chain Fatty Acids as Key Bacterial Metabolites.. Koh A et al.. Cell 2016 · PMID 27259147 · DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.041
- Perceptions of flatulence from bean consumption among adults in 3 feeding studies.. Winham DM, Hutchins AM. Nutr J 2011 · PMID 22104320 · DOI 10.1186/1475-2891-10-128
- Eight weeks of lentil consumption attenuates insulin resistance progression without increased gastrointestinal symptom severity: A randomized clinical trial.. Wilson SMG et al.. Nutr Res 2022 · PMID 36122501 · DOI 10.1016/j.nutres.2022.08.002
- Anemia in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, determinants, and health impacts in Egypt.. Azzam A et al.. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2025 · PMID 39810098 · DOI 10.1186/s12884-024-07111-9
- Anaemia among Egyptian Children between 2000 and 2005: trends and predictors.. Austin AM et al.. Matern Child Nutr 2012 · PMID 21951327 · DOI 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2011.00339.x