Popcorn Has 'More Antioxidants Than Fruit and Vegetables', New Study Says

Popcorn, when it’s not slathered in butter and coated in salt, is already known to be a healthy snack food and now a group of scientists say it may even top fruits and vegetables in antioxidant levels.

The new research has revealed that popcorn is made up of just 4% water so the antioxidants are less diluted than in fruit and vegetables, which can be made up of up to 90% water. The study found that one serving of popcorn contains up to 300mg of antioxidants - known as polyphenols – nearly double the 160mg found in a serving of fruit.

The researchers also found the crunchy hulls of popcorn (those bits that have an annoying habit of sticking in your throat) have the highest concentration of antioxidants and fibre.

Researcher Jo Vinson said: “Those hulls deserve more respect. They are nutritional gold nuggets.”

Describing popcorn as “the perfect snack food”, he added: “It's the only snack that is 100 per cent unprocessed whole grain.

“All other grains are processed and diluted with other ingredients, and although cereals are called 'whole grain', this simply means that over 51% of the weight of the product is whole grain.

“One serving of popcorn will provide more than 70% of the daily intake of whole grain.

“The average person only gets about half a serving of whole grains a day, and popcorn could fill that gap in a very pleasant way.”

He added: “Air-popped popcorn has the lowest number of calories while microwave popcorn has twice as many calories as air-popped."

The findings were revealed by scientists from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego.

But the researchers warned that popcorn should be seen as a supplement to your five-a-day, not an alternative, as it doesn’t contain the vital vitamins and nutrients found in fruit and vegetables.