When did popcorn become unhealthy?

Well... not the popcorn, but our desire for super easy ways of preparing foods have led us down a path that now makes popcorn less healthy than it once was.

Microwave-ready popcorn is what you need to be weary of.  It seems like a healthy snack, and compared to some other options at the grocery store it probably still is a better choice.  But just like everything put out to consumer's the products are "doctored" so much to make them appetizing they take on some less desirable ingredients in the process.

So what's the problem with microwave popcorn?

1.  Diacetyl.  Pronounced "die-ah-see-tull".  This is a powder that is added to microwave popcorn to give it that fabulous buttery taste and smell when you open the bag.  It is also added to some other food items where a cheesy flavor is desired.  Diacetyl, like most things in small quantities, is not a big problem.  However, diacetyl has been blamed for lung cancer cases (which was nicknamed "popcorn lung") for a number of individuals working in factories that produced things like microwave popcorn.  Certainly these workers were breathing in massive quantities of diacetyl as compared to what you may inhale when you open your one bag of popcorn.  But if a food additive can be shown to cause lung cancer at larger quantities, I'd rather err on the side of caution and avoid it even in small amounts if I can.

2.  Perflourooctanoic Acid (PFOA).  Um, I'll just let you guess at how to pronounce that one for a bit... Per-floor-oh-ock-tan-oh-ick???  Jeez, good thing I'm writing and not reading out loud.  Anywhoo, this is what they put on the lining of the microwave popcorn bag.  It keeps the popcorn from sticking to the bag.  Can't have that.  Might ruin your movie experience.  Instead let's just spray the bag with these delicious chemical that are also used in the production of things like Gore-tex and teflon.  Lovely, right?  The human half-life for PFOA is 3 years!  Ahhhh!  That means if you have 10 grams of it in your body, it would take 3 years just to get down to having only 5 grams.  So while this stuff sits around taking its sweet time leaving your body, it wreaks havoc.  In the few human studies out there, it has been shown to elevate cholesterol and uric acid (which can cause gout - crystals form in the joints causing pain).  In animal studies it has shown negative effects on the immune system, liver, and endocrine systems (diabetes, thyroid, and other hormones).

So is that bag of microwave popcorn really worth it?  Why not pick up a container of popcorn kernels... toss them (1/4-1/2 cup) in a brown paper bag... fold down the open end of the bag 3 times... and microwave for about 2-2.5 minutes (just like you would with your old microwave popcorn).  Voila!  No additive and super simple popcorn.  Just add your own seasonings or eat it plain.

 

Steenland K, Fletcher T, Savitz DA. Epidemiologic Evidence on the Health Effects of Perflourooctanoic Acid (PFOA). Environ Health Perspect. 2010;118(8):1100-1108.

Are you taking your Green Tea extract wrong?

Have you heard that green tea can help you to lose weight, or at least improve your body composition?  There may be some fact to these claims as several studies have shown deceases in body fat in groups consuming green tea as compared to those consuming a placebo.  Green tea is a source of caffeine and the caffeine may contribute to these effects, but the presence of catechins in the green tea has explained more of the weight loss benefit in drinking the tea or taking the supplement.   

Not familiar with catechins?  What about EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate)?  EGCG boasts about having a great effect on thermogenesis which is heat production in the body.  Why do you want more heat production?  An increase in thermogenesis uses more stored energy, and that typically means using up stored fat.

A study published in 2005 showed that Japanese men who consumed a green tea beverage containing 690 mg of catechins demonstrated significant weight loss and fat loss as compared to the control group who consumed a tea with only 22 mg of catechins.  Research like this prompted EGCG to be included in numerous over-the-counter weight loss supplements.  The EGCG seemed to have an effect on food intake as well when it was tested in a study using rats.  Those receiving EGCG seemed to consume less food as compared to the control group even though both groups were given unregulated access to the same food.

So why aren’t you losing weight when you drink green tea?  Or when you take a green tea supplement?  Maybe you’re taking it wrong… and it wasn’t your fault!  I happen to have a green tea supplement in my supplement basket, and the directions on it specifically say, “For adults, take two (2) capsules twice daily, preferably with meals”.  I looked up another one, pictured above, and it gave similar instructions to consume it with a meal.  I suppose this makes sense to most people as you might have an upset stomach if you were taking a capsule or tablet on an empty stomach and it contained high levels of EGCG… but Green Tea, for weight loss and antioxidant purposes, should be taken on an empty stomach!

A study published in 2005 showed their tested green tea supplement to be 3.5 times more potent when consumed on an empty stomach (after an overnight fast) as compared to taking the supplement with a meal.  EGCG levels of 1200 mg did result in mild nausea when taken on an empty stomach, whereas 800 mg of EGCG was well-tolerated without nausea.

If your supplement doesn’t happen to say how much of the extract is EGCG, a good general rule is about 30%.  So mine has 420 mg Green Tea Leaf Extract, which means it contains 126 mg of EGCG.  If I were to take one capsule, three times per day (as they manufacturer suggest), that would still be far below the nausea-generating level of 1200 mg.  And certainly well below the level as it takes 1200 mg at one time on an empty stomach to create the mild nausea.

So what’s the take home message?  Perhaps you could take a smaller dose of Green Tea Extract and just consume it on an empty stomach.  Would save you money by lowering your dose and give you greater benefit at the same time!  Or keep your same dose and take it 30 minutes before a meal to get an almost four-fold boost in effectiveness.

Sources:

Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y, Tokimitsu I. Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(1):122-129.

Kao YH, Hiipakka RA, Liao S. Modulation of endocrine systems and food intake by green tea epigallocatechin gallate. Endocrinology. 2000;141:980-987.

Chow HH, Hakim IA, Vining DR, Crowell JA, Ranger-Moore J, Chew WM, et al. Effects of dosing condition on the oral bioavailability of green tea catechins after single-dose administration of Polyphenon E in healthy individuals. Clin Cancer Res. 2005;11(12):4627-4633.