Referred to as "prairie gold," popcorn is a successful, money-making crop for many U.S. Midwestern farmers. Prehistoric, unpopped kernels found in the Bat Caves of New Mexico actually popped when researchers cooked them in hot oil, according to What's Cooking America. While 5,600-year-old popcorn kernels pop with no problem, many modern bags of microwave popcorn leave more than their fair share of "old maids." The positive and negative effects of the food may surprise popcorn lovers.
High in Polyphenols
In 2009, a University of Scranton professor completed a study of antioxidants found in cereals and snack foods and determined, "Popcorn has far and away the greatest amount of antioxidants among the snack foods." Dr. Joe Vinson, a professor of chemistry at Scranton, was surprised at the large amount of phenolic compounds in popcorn, which is considered a whole-grain food. Vinson advocates the addition of more whole foods in a person's diet because of the beneficial amounts of antioxidants that can reduce the risk for obesity, certain cancers and coronary heart disease.
Other Health Benefits
In addition to containing healthful antioxidants, popcorn works as a natural intestinal and colon cleanser as it forces old, surplus food particles through the digestive tract, which, in the long run, reduces the risk of colon cancer. Popcorn is high in fiber, and an important food that helps keep a person regular. If you want to add vitamin B to your diet and have a snack all at the same time, popcorn might be the ideal food. It's also high in protein and many minerals, and leaves you feeling full and satisfied instead of the sudden energy rise and fall of sweet snacks like candy, cookies or a sugar-filled soda.
Popcorn Lung
Of the more surprising negative effects of popcorn are the problems that have arisen from eating or working around large quantities of certain microwave popcorns. Several popcorn companies discontinued the use of certain chemicals--chiefly, diacetyl--in their artificial buttery-flavored microwave popcorn products. Diacetyl, which was previously regarded to be a safe"chemical compound, releases a potentially lethal gas that affects workers in microwave popcorn plants and people who consume large quantities of microwave popcorn on a daily basis. Wayne Watson, a lover of microwave popcorn, developed broncheolitis obliterans--more commonly referred to as "popcorn lung"--from eating several bags of extra-buttery-flavored microwave popcorn every day for over 10 years. Watson's popcorn lung reduced his lung capacity to about 50 percent. With treatment and eschewing microwave popcorn, Watson gained about 25 percent more lung capacity in a year's time, according to the Denver Post.
Popcorn Diets
No matter how beneficial a food, eating too much of a good thing is never healthy. Fad popcorn diets call for eating popcorn much of the day in place of a meal and other snacks. The temptation to add butter or salt to spice up the taste of popcorn defeats the purpose of dieting. Too much fiber can cause intestinal upsets and bloating, and popcorn-dieters soon tire of eating popcorn day in and day out. Adding popcorn to an already-healthy, balanced diet, however, is a reasonable idea.
References
- News Blaze: The Amazing Health Benefits of Gourmet Popcorn
- University of Scranton: Reasearch on Antioxidants Found in Snack Foods and Cereal Presented
- The Diet Channel: The Popcorn Diet
- Denver Post: Man Surprised by Popcorn Lung Diagnosis
- What's Cooking America: History and Legends of Popcorn, Cracker Jacks and Popcorn Balls
Member Comments