New study shows that popcorn has high levels of antioxidants

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Scientists at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, reported that popcorn and some breakfast cereals contain "surprisingly large" levels of healthy antioxidants known as polyphenols.

Polyphenols are kind of chemical which can be found in various fruits, vegetables, and other plants. Walnuts, olives, tea leaves, grapes and berries are other foods high in polyphenols. These antioxidants remove free radicals (which have the potential to cause damage to the body's cells and tissues.



"Early researchers thought the fiber was the active ingredient for these benefits in whole grains, the reason why they may reduce the risk of cancer and coronary heart disease," said Joe Vinson, Ph.D., who headed the new study. "But recently, polyphenols emerged as potentially more important. Breakfast cereals, pasta, crackers, and salty snacks constitute over 66 percent of whole grain intake in the U.S. diet."

Vinson, a chemist at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, said "We found that, in fact, whole grain products have comparable antioxidants per gram to fruits and vegetables. This is the first study to examine total phenol antioxidants in breakfast cereals and snacks, whereas previous studies have measured free antioxidants in the products."


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1 comments:

Luke Holzmann said...

Now I feel great that I brought popcorn with me this morning [smile].

~Luke

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