Orange Corn Could Provide Multiple Health Benefits to Children
By Donna Parker • Mar 30th, 2010 • Category: Health News, Vision
Parents who are concerned for their children’s well-being may want to note that the nutritional supplements found in orange corn could potentially reduce a child’s risk for blindness or death, according to a new study.
Researchers from Purdue University recently discovered a new gene in corn that increases its vitamin A content and could potentially reduce childhood blindness and mortality rates. These findings are true for both yellow and orange corn, but orange was found to have a significantly higher levels of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A during digestion.
The scientists are hoping that this will lead to the development of darker corn, which originated in the Caribbean and is prevalent in Asia, South America and Northern Italy.
"We’re sort of turbocharging corn with desirable natural variation to make it darker and more nutritious," said lead researcher Torbert Rocheford.
It’s been reported that between 250,000 and 500,000 children around the world go blind each year as a result of a vitamin A deficiency. The researchers are hopeful that this new discovery will help combat these statistics.
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