A new study suggests that a millet diet is healthy for blood vessels and lowers total cholesterol, along with triglycerides and body mass index. Researchers analyzed data from 19 studies involving nearly 900 people. Thelatest research work on milletwas carried out by five organizations. In addition, the plant, which grows almost everywhere, can provide several health benefits for people with heart disease, according to the study authors.
New scientific evidence that consuming millet can be healthy
The recently published results provide much-needed scientific support to claims that millet is healthy. They also popularize the benefits of the plant as part of the daily diet of those with heart problems. Millet is particularly considered a staple food that could combat the growing prevalence of obesity and overweight among children, adolescents and adults. The study showed that consuming millet reduced total cholesterol by 8%, lowering it from high to normal levels in the people studied. There was also an almost 10% reduction in very low density lipoprotein cholesterol. This is commonly known as “bad cholesterol”. The level of triglycerides in the blood also became significantly lower. As a result of these reductions, the subjects' values returned to the normal range. Additionally, millet consumption reduced blood pressure, with diastolic blood pressure decreasing by 5%.
All study results were based on consumption of 50 to 200 g of millet per day for a period of 21 days to three months. These results could be influenced by comparisons showing that millet has a much higher content of unsaturated fatty acids. Concentrations that are 2 to 10 times higher than refined wheat and milled rice and much higher than whole wheat can be observed. Given the positive indicators so far, the authors recommendthis studyalso a more detailed analysis of the influence of millet on weight management. Because millet is robust and climate-smart, a return to this traditional staple makes a lot of sense and is critically important.
