Pop Goes the Good News

First we learned that beer is good for your bones. Then it was chocolate and its ability to ward off heart attacks. Now, welcome the newest surprise superfood: popcorn.

Like fruits and vegetables, popcorn contains polyphenols, aka antioxidants that axe potentially cell-damaging free radicals from the body. Polyphenols pack a serious health punch: they've got up to 10 times the antioxidant effect as vitamins C and E.

"We really were surprised by the levels of polyphenols we found in popcorn," Dr. Joe Vinson, a University of Scranton chemist, told the UK’s The Telegraph. "I guess its because it's not processed. You get all the wonderful ingredients of the corn undiluted and protected by the skin."

Vinson, who presented his results at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting Tuesday, called the salty snack "a good health food," and said it matched an apple for polyphenol content.

Vinson and his team used a technique called alkaline hydrolysis to test cereals and snack foods. The results showed that popcorn is 2.6 percent polyphenols — the highest level of any of the products tested, reports HealthDay News. Whole grain cereals are about .03 to .05 percent, while Vinson’s favorite snack, tortilla chips, contained next to no antioxidants.

Now if he could only find some health benefits in Twizzlers.