A Cambridge researcher is pushing for the broad bean to be recognised for its mood-improving properties by the UK government.

Dr. Nadia Mohd-Radzman, a research associate at the University’s Sainsbury Laboratory claims the bean has the possibility to ‘transform the nation’s health’ due to its ‘special properties’.

Dr. Radzman said that broad beans contains chemicals “linked to lasting improvements in the moods and emotions of those who consume them,” along with being “rich in protein, fibre and iron”.

According to Radzman these beans could possibly improve the mental health crisis as “an inexpensive and accessible way” to improve both diets and mood.

To promote these benefits, Dr. Radzman’s campaign will hold bean-themed lectures and talks, along with publishing a broad array of recipes to make use of the humble bean.

Dr. Radzman also states that “the broad bean could do so much good” for Britain’s mental health crisis, stating that it is her “mission” to “get the country to love the broad bean”.

Researchers at Reading University also highlight the benefits of the Broad Bean, also known as the Fava Bean. Scientists found that eating bread made with broad beans would be “ sustainable” and an easier way to “deliver key nutrients”.

Dr. Radzman found that the the chemical compound levodopa, which is highly concentrated in Broad Beans, acts as a”precursor” to dopamine, a hormone associated with happiness.

The compound is also used in the clinical treatment of people with Parkinson’s disease.

However, eating the fava beans can trigger a sinister side effect disease in a small number of vulnerable people in Mediterranean countries and the Middle East,’ through a disease called Favism.

This disease could lead to a blood disorder known as haemolytic anemia, with Dr. Radzman conceding that this side effect “has to be looked at,” in her research.