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.