publication date: Apr 30, 2012
|
author/source: University of Aberdeen
Scientists
are investigating if a burger can be made healthier by adding beetroot to its
ingredients. Nutritional
experts at the University of Aberdeen have devised their own turkey burger,
which includes extracts of the vegetable. They believe
that beetroot - which contains antioxidants - stops the body from absorbing the
‘bad' fat found in burgers.
They are now
seeking healthy males to eat their turkey and beetroot burger, as part of a
study to test their findings. Professor
Garry Duthie from the University's Rowett Research Institute of Nutrition and
Health who is leading the research said: "Processed food forms a major and
increasing part of our diet. Consumption of high fat convenience foods in
Scotland increases year by year.
"We are
looking to identify if adding a vegetable extract to processed food can
actually protect the body from absorbing the ‘bad' fats which exist in these
types of products.
"When we eat
a fatty food, a process called oxidation occurs in our stomachs, where fats are
transformed into potentially toxic compounds and absorbed into the body. These
compounds are linked to cancer and heart disease.
"We believe
that adding a vegetable extract such as beetroot, which contains antioxidant
compounds, will stop this oxidation of fat in the gut, and prohibit the body
from absorbing the bad fat."
Males
between the ages of 21 and 60 are required for the study, which will take place
over 4 separate days at the Rowett Institute in Bucksburn, Aberdeenshire.
Professor
Duthie continued: "We trialled a number of different vegetable extracts and
found that the combination of turkey and beetroot in the burger tastes good and
has the advantage of looking the same as a normal burger.
"Beetroot
may also have the added health benefit of lowering blood pressure.
"Volunteers
will be asked to eat both turkey burgers with and without beetroot, and we will
monitor to see which compounds their body absorbs when they eat the different
burgers.
"If we can
identify that using a vegetable extract such as beetroot in processed food
stops bad fat from being ingested, this could not only have significant health
benefits for the public but also benefits for the processed food industry.
"When fats
oxidise in the stomach and become toxic they essentially go rancid. It is this
same process which causes foods to go off in a shop or supermarket over time.
"So
introducing an antioxidant such as beetroot would slow down this oxidation
process, and have the added benefit for the food industry of lengthening the
shelf life of products."
Volunteers
interested in taking part in the study should contact Bill Buchan on 01224
438621 or by email at
B.Buchan@abdn.ac.uk
The study is
part of a wider Scottish Government funded project being undertaken at the
Rowett Institute investigating the potential health benefits of Scottish
produce.
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