Corn is rich in vitamin C and other nutrients, and is believed to promote longevity, improve skin health, enhance eyesight, and help prevent high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. Corn has high nutritional value; let's take a look at its nutritional benefits.
Nutritional value of corn:
It can help prevent heart disease and cancer.
In this year-long study, experts compared various indicators of nutritional value and health benefits of staple foods such as corn, rice, and wheat. The results showed that corn has a very high vitamin content, 5-10 times that of rice and wheat.
Meanwhile, experts are pleasantly surprised by the abundance of nutrients and health-promoting substances in corn. Besides carbohydrates, protein, fat, and carotene, corn also contains riboflavin, vitamins, and other nutrients. These substances are very beneficial in preventing diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
Studies also show that specialty corn has a higher nutritional value than regular corn. For example, sweet corn contains 1-2 times more protein, vegetable oil, and vitamins than regular corn; the content of the vital element selenium is 8-10 times higher; and of the 17 amino acids it contains, 13 are present in higher amounts than in regular corn. Furthermore, fresh corn has significantly higher levels of water, active substances, vitamins, and other nutrients than mature corn, because the nutrient content of corn decreases rapidly during storage.
Anti-aging:
Every 100 grams of corn provides nearly 300 milligrams of calcium, almost the same as the calcium found in dairy products. This abundant calcium can help lower blood pressure. Consuming 1 gram of calcium daily can lower blood pressure by 9% after 6 weeks. Furthermore, the carotene in corn is converted into vitamin A after being absorbed by the body, which has anti-cancer properties; plant fiber can accelerate the excretion of carcinogens and other toxins; and natural vitamin E promotes cell division, delays aging, lowers serum cholesterol, prevents skin lesions, and can also alleviate arteriosclerosis and cognitive decline. Researchers point out that the lutein and zeaxanthin in corn can combat eye aging. In addition, eating more corn can inhibit the side effects of anti-cancer drugs, stimulate brain cells, and enhance brainpower and memory.
Protect your eyes:
A 1994 study conducted by Harvard Medical School and numerous research centers showed that consuming higher levels of lutein and zeaxanthin can reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by 43%. Corn contains lutein and zeaxanthin, especially the latter, making it an excellent food for combating eye aging.
It can lower cholesterol in the human body:
American researchers have also discovered that regularly consuming corn husks and corn oil is very beneficial for lowering cholesterol. They selected 70 elderly people with an average age of 55 (50 men and 20 women), all of whom had high cholesterol levels and had been hospitalized for more than two years with unsatisfactory results. During the experiment, researchers finely ground corn and added garlic powder, black pepper, celery, and other seasonings, mixing it with tomatoes or soup. For the first month and a half, each person consumed 20 grams daily, and for the next month and a half, 40 grams daily. After three months, tests showed that all 70 participants had lower triglyceride levels, and 60 had lower cholesterol levels.
Adjunctive treatment for various diseases:
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that corn is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, with functions such as stimulating appetite, strengthening the spleen, removing dampness, and promoting urination. It is mainly used to treat diarrhea, indigestion, and edema. Corn is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid, which accounts for more than 60%. Linoleic acid works synergistically with vitamin E in corn germ to lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent its deposition on blood vessel walls. Therefore, corn has certain preventive and therapeutic effects on coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Vitamin E can also promote cell division and delay aging. Corn also contains a longevity factor-glutathione, which, with the participation of selenium, generates glutathione peroxidase, which has the function of restoring youth and delaying aging. The abundant calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, selenium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, E, and carotene have an auxiliary therapeutic effect on cholecystitis, gallstones, jaundice hepatitis, and diabetes.
