For a change, the usual headline of ‘Eat your five portions of fruit and veg a day’ has been temporarily replaced by the arguably controversial ‘A bowl full of popcorn a day keeps the doctor away’.
But is this just a headline, or is there actually any depth of truth to the idea that the sugary/salty snack we have all been known to munch at our local cinema could actually be doing the same job as the humble carrot?
Dr Vinson, who led the study, is an expert in analysing healthful components in chocolate, nuts and other common foods. The concept behind this new health claim is that polyphenols are more concentrated in popcorn than vegetables because it averages only about 4% water, while polyphenols are diluted in the 90% water that makes up many fruits and vegetables.
This all sounds very convincing – you can’t fool science, after all. This antioxidant discovery in itself is interesting and paves the way for further research into the concentration of antioxidants in relation to water content, which could be utilised in the functional and health food & beverage industry.
However, consumers mustn’t be fooled by the edited versions of the research, which, of course, make for better reading, yet perhaps miss the fundamental points.
Here are three of the many headlines I found covering the story:
I’ve read the study by Dr Vinson and I’m not sure this is the point of his research. In fact, Dr Vinson points out that popcorn cannot replace fresh fruit and vegetables in a healthy diet. Fruit and vegetables contain vitamins and other nutrients that are critical for good health, but which are missing from popcorn.
Previous studies found low concentrations of free polyphenols in popcorn, but Dr Vinson’s team did the first study to calculate total polyphenols in popcorn. The amounts of these antioxidants were much higher than previously believed, he said. The levels of polyphenols rivalled those in nuts and were up to 15 times greater than whole grain tortilla chips.
So, in some cases, popcorn could be considered a healthy alternative to other snacks, but what other not-so-nice ingredients are you getting your daily intake of along with the health benefits?
The new study found that the amount of polyphenols found in popcorn was up to 300mg a serving compared to 114mg for a serving of sweet corn and 160mg for all fruits per serving. This is an incredible revelation, but one to be understood with caution.
The polyphenols will not eliminate fat, sugar or salt, so if popcorn is to be consumed as ‘the perfect snack food’?, the sticky toffee kind munched at the cinema will have to be avoided; it’s the au naturale breed of popcorn this research relates to. Bland? Probably.
Sorry, but Dr Vinson has not given us all a validated excuse to wolf down our daily intake of salt in one sitting. When popcorn serves as a vehicle for highly moreish, high-fat added extras, it’s unfortunately still pretty unhealthy.
Does a bowl full of popcorn a day keep the doctor away? I’d stick to an apple if I were you.
Rebecca Prescott is editorial assistant of FoodBev.com
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024