12 VALUABLE HEALTH BENEFITS OF CORN - NUTRITION - 2024

The benefits and properties of corn are extensive: it can prevent colon cancer, heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer's and even combat daily stress.

Most of us know corn by its yellow color, but it can also be pink, red, blue, and black. 9,000 years ago the Mayans and Aztecs began to cultivate it in Mesoamerica. This cereal would gain popularity in the world of gastronomy over the centuries.

That is why it is today one of the three most produced cereals in the world along with rice and wheat. Corn is an important food for your diet since it is rich in vitamins B and C. It has folic acid, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, magnesium and has fiber. Its high level of carbohydrates and proteins makes it an essential element to provide us with energy and benefits to our health.

Here I present twelve benefits that corn brings to your health:

1. It can prevent colon cancer because it contains a large amount of folic acid.

1. It is healthy for pregnancy. Corn is home to high levels of vitamin B, which reduces the risk of babies being born with defects in the brain and spinal cord. For this reason it is ideal for pregnant women. In fact, since 1996 the US Food and Drug Administration has requested that some cereals, such as corn, be fortified with folic acid - which is within the 'family' of vitamin B-.

1. It lowers the risk of having a heart attack. As we have said, the vitamin B1 contained in corn decreases homocysteine ​​and therefore also reduces the risk of suffering a cardiovascular attack. But it is important to note that antioxidants, very notable in corn, prevent fats from oxidizing. Precisely, this oxidation is harmful to blood vessels and antioxidants prevent it.
2. Lower your risk of having a stroke. For the same reason that we explained in point 3: vitamin B1 reduces the level of homocysteine.

1. It can defend against Alzheimer's since corn has more antioxidants than any other cereal. Antioxidants protect our body from free radicals and for this reason could help prevent this degenerative disease. This cereal is also high in vitamin B.
2. It is healthy to maintain your cognitive abilities because of how rich it is in antioxidants.
3. It fights stress because pantothenic acid supports the function of the adrenal glands.
4. It has few calories. Half a cup of corn (about 60 grams) contains about 86 calories. It is best to eat this cereal without butter, ketchup, or spices.

Traditional Chinese medicine considers corn to have these health properties:

1. It can help stop bleeding. Traditional Chinese medicine has used it for this.
2. It can increase the secretion of urine. Corn silk is used in China as a remedy to treat urinary problems. It is usually taken in a tea or powder. Corn has diuretic properties.
3. It can detoxify the body. Through its diuretic properties, corn can help you fight urinary infections and detoxify your body.
4. It can help with some medical treatments, such as hepatitis. This is how traditional Chinese medicine considers it.

Various studies affirm that corn has more antioxidants than any other cereal and vegetable. That is why it is essential in a healthy diet and as you just read it has a lot to offer your health. For this reason, in developed countries, the majority of the population consumes corn to obtain the calories and protein it needs. While in India it enjoys a privileged position in agriculture and cereal constitutes an indispensable and valuable food for the most disadvantaged social classes.

On the other hand, everyone can enjoy corn in different ways by adding it to different dishes. Remember that you can keep it in the refrigerator with or without the shell for five or seven days. You can cook a polenta-cornmeal porridge- which is a very creative and healthy way to incorporate this food into your diet.

In addition, you can add this cereal to your salads and pasta to give them a more appetizing touch. You can remove the shell from fresh corn and cook it in a pot to boil, in the oven or even on the grill. The corn kernels can be eaten in a guacamole plate, a tomato salad with onion or any other similar tasting. It allows you to enjoy it in the way that is most comfortable and rich for you so as not to exclude it from your diet.

What about the popcorn?

As for popcorn, it comes from a plant that has features that differ slightly from normal corn: it is spindly and its branches are drooping.

Popcorn is an ideal food because it has a lot of carbohydrates and plenty of fiber. In this sense, there are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. The first regulates hunger, cholesterol and blood sugar level. The second is very important for gastro-intestinal function.

Don't forget that popcorn without sweeteners or seasonings is low in calories. A cup of this type of cereal (approximately 120 grams) provides about 30 calories. On the other hand, if we add a seasoning to this amount, such as butter or margarine, the calories would rise more or less to 130.

Baby corn and corn in Mexican cuisine

Another way to enjoy this cereal is by trying the so-called 'baby corn'. This is the corn that comes out of the first harvest when it has not yet fully matured and the cereal has not even been fertilized. The advantage of this 'baby corn' is that it is free from the effects of pesticides and its grains are very well protected by the husk because it is the very first harvest.

Baby corns can also be cut into two-inch pieces, dried, and then stored for up to three months. During that time all your vitamins and proteins will remain intact. You can also freeze them as long as you keep the cold chain.

However, when freezing them you should not leave them for a long time since they will lose their ascorbic acid -with antioxidant properties-. In the first 30 days of freezing it loses about 7% of this acid, in 60 days, 9% and in 90 days, 11%.

Corn in the world of gastronomy

Regarding its reputation in the world of gastronomy, corn is the hallmark of Mexican food. In the lands of Mexico, it was cultivated for the first time 9,000 years ago and since then it has been part of the Mexican diet.

In fact, UNESCO recognized corn in 2010 as one of the bases of traditional Mexican cuisine, which was inscribed that same year on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage: “The basic elements of the system are: corn, beans and the chili ”.

This international organization awarded this merit to Mexican gastronomy because it includes ritual practices and customs and "it is possible thanks to the collective participation that goes from planting and harvesting to cooking and eating."

Following this path, UNESCO recognizes that Mexican gastronomy uses "culinary preparation procedures, such as nixtamalization (husking of corn with lime water to increase its nutritional value)."

In this way, it further emphasizes the role that corn plays in the diet of Mexico, where around 9,000 years ago the Mayan and Aztec culture began to cultivate it. And precisely, this country continues to preserve corn as a hallmark of its gastronomy and also of its cultural identity.

What's more, the famous Mexican tortilla is made of corn and is one of the most international dishes of this gastronomy. It is one of the offerings on the Day of the Dead.

Genetically modified corn

Despite all the benefits and successes of corn, it has not been without controversy. The development of biotechnology has sown controversy regarding genetically modified corn. It has been discussed whether it could increase the risk of suffering some type of cancer, toxicity or potential nutritional alterations.

According to scientific research, there is no evidence that can link the ingestion of genetically modified corn with health problems, toxicity or cancer. Genetically modified foods would be as healthy as natural ones.

In any case, the genetic modification of foods is a relatively young science and therefore its possible benefits or harms in the long term are not known with certainty.

José Antonio López Guerrero, professor of Microbiology at the Autonomous University of Madrid and director of the Department of Scientific Culture of the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center, affirms that from the point of view of molecular biology “transgenic foods do not pose any more danger to the health than the same non-transgenic product ”.

He adds that "in the case of corn, there is no relationship - serious and / or scientific - that relates it to cancer - much less in humans." In reference to the study carried out by French scientists in 2012 and which pointed out that tumors in rodents could be related to the consumption of genetically modified corn, López Guerrero says that "it was withdrawn due to dubious methodology."

A study by Brookes and Barfoot, directors of PG Economics, shows that in the first 15 years in which genetically modified cereal crops have been used, the use of pesticides has fallen by almost 450 million kilos. In other words, 9% less pesticides than 15 years ago.

Biotechnology and the use of genetically modified cereals have increased productivity on farms. They have also reduced the emission of greenhouse gases, which are produced by over-tilling and plowing. They have made it possible to reduce soil erosion and fuel consumption.

Following this path, corn not only produces benefits for our health, but also for the environment. Corn growers use the seeds of this cereal to produce ethanol, which is an alternative biofuel to oil. Hence comes the great value that corn has in international trade.

As you can see, it not only serves to feed millions of families, but also to generate an alternative energy source that reduces dependence on oil.

Ethanol, the substitute for oil, is not only extracted from the corn plant, but also from the sugar cane. In Brazil, this biofuel is derived precisely from sugar cane and has made it possible for more than half of the vehicles to use this energy source instead of oil.

It is time to speak, on the other hand, of the production of corn in the world. The world's largest producer is the United States, which produced more than 360 million tons in 2014. In that same year, Spain produced 4 million tons and Mexico, 23 million tons, according to the FAO.

According to this international organization, in 2014 more than 50% of world corn production was concentrated in the American continent, secondly followed by Asia (29%) and third was Europe (11%).

Conclusions

In short, corn is a necessary and rich cereal in your diet due to the many benefits it has for your health.

We have revealed twelve reasons to eat this food. In addition, corn not only benefits our body, but also the environment. Ethanol is extracted from the corn plant, which is a biofuel that can reduce our dependence on oil. And of course, you can easily incorporate corn into your dishes (salads, guacamole, tortilla) and it is low in calories.

Bibliography

1. SHANTA RETELNY, Victoria. The essential guide to healthy healing foods (Essential Guides). Editorial Alpha, 2011.
2. BLAKE, Michael. Maize for the Gods: Unearthing the 9,000-year history of corn. Editorial University of California, 2015.
3. FAOSTAT, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
4. STATISTICS DIVISION, on the web:
5. SHINING NI, Dr. Mao. Natural Health Dictionary: Your comprehensive A-to Z guide for healing with herbs, nutrition, supplements, and secret remedies. Editorial Ask Dr Mao, 2011.
6. CHAUDHARY, Paul, KUMAR, Sandeep, SINGH, Sapna. MAIZE: NUTRITIONS DINAMIC AND NOVEL USES. Editorial Springer, 2014.
7. GILBERT, Nathasa. 'Case studies: A hard look at GM crops' (05/01/2013), in Nature.com on web: http://www.nature.com/news/case-studies-a-hard-look-at- gm-crops-1.12907
8. OGUSEITAN, Oladele. Green health: An A to Z Guide. Editorial SAGE PUBLICATIONS, 2011.
9. VAN ALFEN, Neal K. Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems. Editorial Academic Press, 2014.
10. LE FIGARO, SANTÉ: L'encyclopédie santé: le maïs. On the web: http: //sante.lefigaro.fr/mieux-etre/nutrition-aliments/mais/quels-bienfaits [date of consultation 03/28/2016
11. STONE, Joanne, EDDLEMAN, Keith, DUENWALD, Mary. Pregnancy for Dummies. Editorial CEAC, 2012.