Sweet corn, with its mild, sugary flavor and satisfying crunch, is one of the gustatory joys of summer. The World's Healthiest Foods notes that although corn is generally available in supermarkets year round, locally grown varieties--available in the summer months--tend to be not only less expensive, but tastier. Sweet corn--delicious to eat, naturally low in calories and high in beneficial fiber, vitamins and minerals--is a healthy dietary choice.
Vitamin C
Although citrus fruits, tropical fruits and berries have a well-earned reputation for being good sources of vitamin C, they are not the only game in town when it comes to foods that can supply this essential antioxidant vitamin. One cup of cooked sweet yellow corn provides 10.16 mg of vitamin C, or 16.9 percent of the daily value. According to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, vitamin C is necessary for collagen formation and wound healing, and helps to block dangerous free radicals.
B-complex Vitamins
Corn is also rich in some of the B-complex vitamins. According to the American Cancer Society, B vitamins are essential for growth and development, and play an important role in turning food into energy. One cup of cooked sweet yellow corn contains .36 mg, or 24 percent, of the recommended daily value for Vitamin B-1, which is particularly important for mental functions. The World's Healthiest Foods notes that by supplying close to one quarter of your thiamin needs, corn helps to synthesize acetycholine, a neurotransmitter vital for memory; the lack of this vitamin has been found to contribute to age-related impairments in mental function and to Alzheimer's disease. Corn is also a good source of Vitamin B-5, or pantothenic acid. One cup of cooked corn yields 1.44 mg, or 14.4 percent of the DV.
Folate
Sweet corn is particularly rich in folate, or vitamin B-9, with one cup providing 76.10 mg of folate, close to 20 percent of the DV. Folate is required to lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that can be destructive to blood vessels. By providing folate, sweet corn can help lower risk of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. According to the World's Healthiest Foods, getting 100 percent of the DV of folate would reduce the number of heart attacks in America by a full 10 percent.
Phytonutrients and Carotenoids
Whole grains such as corn contain potent phytonutrients, which can have disease-protective effects. The World's Healthiest Foods says that corn has been found to have antioxidant activity twice that of spinach, broccoli and bananas. The National Library of the United States Department of Agriculture lists one cup of corn as containing 240 mcg of beta-cryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid thought to reduce risk of lung cancer. There is some scientific research supporting the belief in beta-cryptoxanthin's chemoprotective properties. In a study of over 63,000 adults conducted by Jian-Min Yuan and colleagues and published in the September 2003 issue of "Cancer Epidemiology," researchers found that those who ate the most foods high in cryptoxanthins had a 27 percent reduction in lung cancer rate.
References
- National Library United States Department of Agriculture: Sweet Corn
- The World's Healthiest Foods: Corn
- The American Cancer Society: B-Complex Vitamins
- National Institutes of Health: MedlinePlus--Vitamin C
- "Cancer Epidemiology"; Dietary Cryptoxanthin and Reduced Risk of Lung Cancer; Jian-Min Yuan, et al; September, 2003
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