From dorm rooms to offices to home kitchens, microwaves turn out fragrant bags of popcorn with the press of a button. Microwave popcorn is a tasty, convenient snack, but you should be aware of some health risks associated with over-indulgence in this treat. In moderation, popcorn can be a healthy, high-fiber snack.
Fat
Microwave popcorn may derive 45 percent or more of its calories from fat, reports Go Ask Alice, the health columnist for Health Services at Columbia University. Often, this fat is saturated coconut or palm oil and trans fats such as hydrogenated oils. Saturated fat and trans fats can raise your LDL cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the FDA. The FDA recommends you avoid trans fat in your diet and limit saturated fat. Read labels and choose light microwave popcorns that contain less fat and no trans fat.
Diacetyl
Diacetyl is a chemical flavoring that gives the topping on microwave popcorn a golden color and contributes to the distinctive aroma of microwave popcorn. "The Washington Post" reports that workers in popcorn factories who inhale the aroma daily at work sometimes develop a disease known as popcorn workers lung, or brochiolitis obliterans, an obstructive lung disease that can be fatal. Many major popcorn manufacturers have eliminated diacetyl from their popcorn, but read labels to be sure. Look for natural flavorings.
PFOA
Manufacturers often coat microwave popcorn bags with chemicals known as fluorotelomers. These chemicals keep the popping oil and other ingredients from soaking through the paper bag and make the bag more fire resistant. But at high heat, fluorotelomers can break down into perfluorooctinoic acid, or PFOA. Bill Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, reports that exposure to PFOA has been linked to cancer and other health risks. Eating as little as one bag of microwave popcorn a week gives you enough PFOA that it shows up on blood tests, according to Chameides.
Burns
Microwaves heat food to high temperatures in a short amount of time. When you remove a bag of popcorn from the microwave, the contents are very hot. Dr. Patrick DeRespinis and Dr. Larry Frohman of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, wrote to the "New England Journal of Medicine" in October of 1990, reporting three cases of corneal burns from the steam from microwave popcorn. Always open the popcorn bag away from your face and take care to avoid any contact with the steam.
References
- Duke University: Microwave Popcorn--What's in Your Bag?
- University of Connecticut Health Center: Questions Pop Over Risk of Chemicals in Artifical Butter Flavor
- Go Ask Alice: Air Popped Popcorn as Part of a No-Fat Diet
- Washington Post: Flavoring Suspected in Illness
- New England Journal of Medicine: Microwave Popcorn--Ocular Injury Caused by Steam
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