Corn is a healthy grain and a source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It may promote eye and digestive health. Refined corn products, however, such as tortilla chips, offer fewer health benefits.
Also known as maize (Zea mays), corn is one of the world’s most popular cereal grains. It’s the seed of a plant in the grass family, native to Central America but grown in countless varieties worldwide.
Popcorn and sweet corn are popular varieties, but refined corn products are also widely consumed, frequently as ingredients in processed food.
These include tortillas, tortilla chips, polenta, cornmeal, corn flour, corn syrup, and corn oil.
Whole grain corn is more nutritious, as it’s rich in fiber and many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Corn is typically yellow but comes in a variety of other colors, such as red, orange, purple, blue, white, and black.
This article tells you everything you need to know about corn.
Here are the nutrition facts for 3.5 ounces (
- Calories: 96
- Water: 73%
- Protein: 3.4 grams
- Carbs: 21 grams
- Sugar: 4.5 grams
- Fiber: 2.4 grams
- Fat: 1.5 grams
Carbs
Like all cereal grains, corn is primarily composed of carbs.
Starch is its main carb, comprising about 75% of its dry weight. Corn also provides small amounts of sugar.
Sweet corn, or sugar corn, is a special, low-starch variety with higher sugar content. Most of the sugar is sucrose.
Despite the sugar in sweet corn, it is not a high-glycemic food, ranking low or medium on the glycemic index (GI).
The GI is a measure of how quickly carbs are digested. Foods that rank high on this index may cause an unhealthy spike in blood sugar.
Fiber
Corn contains a fair amount of fiber.
3 cups of cinema popcorn boast approximately
The predominant fibers in corn are insoluble ones, such as hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin.
Protein
Corn contains trace amounts of protein.
The most abundant proteins in corn are known as zeins, accounting for 40-50% of the total protein content.
Overall, the protein quality of zeins is poor because they lack some essential amino acids.
Zeins have many industrial applications, as they’re used in the production of adhesives, inks, and coatings for pills, candy, and nuts.
However, corn germ, an abundant by-product of corn milling, is rich in fat and is used to make corn oil, a standard cooking product.
Refined corn oil is
It also contains vitamin E and significant amounts of phytosterols, which increase its shelf life and make it potentially effective at lowering cholesterol levels.
Corn may contain a fair amount of several vitamins and minerals. Notably, the amount is highly variable depending on the corn type.
In general, popcorn is
Popcorn
This popular snack boasts several vitamins and minerals, including:
- Manganese. An essential trace element, manganese occurs in high amounts in whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. It’s poorly absorbed from corn due to this vegetable’s phytic acid content.
- Phosphorus. Found in decent amounts in both popcorn and sweet corn, phosphorus is a mineral that plays an important role in the growth and maintenance of body tissues.
- Magnesium. Poor levels of this important mineral may increase your risk of many chronic illnesses, such as heart disease.
- Zinc. This trace element has many essential functions in your body. Due to the presence of phytic acid in corn, its absorption may be poor.
- Copper. An antioxidant trace element, copper is generally low in the Western diet. It is an important factor in preventing and slowing the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Sweet corn
Sweet corn boasts a number of vitamins, including:
- Pantothenic acid. Also called vitamin B5, this acid is found to some extent in nearly all foods. Thus, deficiency is rare.
- Folate. Also known as vitamin B9 or folic acid, folate is an essential nutrient, especially important during pregnancy.
- Vitamin B6. B6 is a class of related vitamins, the most common of which is pyridoxine. It serves various functions in your body.
- Niacin. Also called vitamin B3, niacin in corn is not well absorbed. Cooking corn with an alkaline solution like limewater (calcium hydroxide) can make this nutrient more available for absorption.
- Potassium. An essential nutrient, potassium is important for blood pressure control and may improve heart health.
Corn contains a number of bioactive plant compounds, some of which may boost your health.
In fact, corn
- Ferulic acid. This is one of the main polyphenol antioxidants in corn, which contains higher amounts of it than other cereal grains like wheat, oats, and rice.
- Anthocyanins. This family of antioxidant pigments is responsible for the color of blue, purple, and red corn.
- Zeaxanthin. Named after corn’s scientific name (Zea mays), zeaxanthin is one of the most common plant carotenoids. In humans, it has been linked to improved eye health.
- Lutein. One of the main carotenoids in corn, lutein serves as an antioxidant, protecting your eyes from oxidative damage produced by blue light.
- Phytic acid. This antioxidant may impair your absorption of dietary minerals, such as zinc and iron.
Popcorn is a special variety of corn that pops when exposed to heat.
This happens when water, trapped in its center, turns to steam, creating internal pressure, which makes the kernels explode.
A highly popular snack, popcorn is one of the most common whole grain foods in the United States.
In fact, it’s one of the few whole grains consumed on its own as a snack. More frequently, whole grains are consumed as food ingredients, such as in breads and tortillas.
Whole grain foods may have several health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
However, regular popcorn consumption has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
Even though popcorn is healthy on its own, it’s often eaten with sugary soft drinks and frequently loaded with added salt and high calorie cooking oils, all of which may harm your health over time.
You can avoid added oils by making your popcorn in an air popper.
Regular whole grain intake may have a number of health benefits.
Eye health
Macular degeneration and cataracts are
Infections and old age are among the leading causes of these diseases, but nutrition may also play a significant role.
Dietary intake of antioxidants, most notably carotenoids like zeaxanthin and lutein, may boost eye health.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are the predominant carotenoids in corn, especially yellow and orange corn. However, their levels are generally low in white corn.
Commonly known as macular pigments, these compounds exist in your retina, the light-sensitive inner surface of your eye, where they protect against oxidative damage caused by blue light.
High levels of these carotenoids in your blood are strongly linked to a reduced risk of both macular degeneration and cataracts.
Observational studies likewise suggest that high dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin may be protective, but not all studies support this.
Prevention of diverticular disease
Diverticular disease (diverticulosis) is a condition characterized by pouches in the walls of your colon. The main symptoms are cramps, flatulence, bloating, and — less often — bleeding and infection.
Popcorn and other high fiber foods were once believed to trigger this condition.
However, an 18-year study of 47,228 men suggests that popcorn may, in fact, protect against diverticular disease. Men who ate the most popcorn were 28% less likely to develop it than those with the lowest intake.
Corn is generally considered safe. However, some concerns exist.
Antinutrients in corn
Like all cereal grains, whole grain corn contains phytic acid (phytate).
Phytic acid impairs your absorption of dietary minerals, such as iron and zinc, from the same meal.
While usually not a problem for people who follow a well-balanced diet, it may be a serious concern in developing countries where cereal grains and legumes are staple foods. Soaking, sprouting, and fermenting corn can reduce phytic acid levels substantially.
It’s important to note that phytic acid is generally only a concern when consumed in large amounts, by itself, and without being cooked. Also, phytic acid has many health benefits that are often overlooked.
Mycotoxins
Some cereal grains and legumes are susceptible to contamination by fungi.
Fungi produce various toxins, known as mycotoxins, that are considered a significant health concern.
The main classes of mycotoxins in corn are fumonisins, aflatoxins, and trichothecenes. Fumonisins are particularly noteworthy.
They occur in stored cereals worldwide, but adverse health effects have mostly been
High consumption of contaminated corn is a suspected risk factor for cancer and neural tube defects, which are common congenital disabilities that may result in disability or death.
Other mycotoxins in corn may also have adverse effects. In April 2004, 125 people died in Kenya from aflatoxin poisoning after eating homegrown corn that had been improperly stored.
A 2023 study of corn grown in Iowa during a drought year found that extreme weather conditions are a serious risk factor for fungal contamination of corn crops.
Effective preventive strategies may include fungicides and proper drying techniques.
In most developed countries, food safety authorities monitor the levels of mycotoxins in foods on the market, with food production and storage strictly regulated.
Corn is one of the most widely consumed cereal grains.
As a good source of antioxidant carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, yellow corn may promote eye health. It’s also a rich source of many vitamins and minerals.
For this reason, moderate consumption of whole grain corn, such as popcorn or sweet corn, can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet.