Khaberni - A recent study sheds light on one of the lesser common dietary ingredients, after its findings revealed potential influences in enhancing gut health and reducing chronic disease risks, such as diabetes and heart disease.
The study found promising health benefits for bamboo shoots, which may strongly place them on the list of "superfoods".
Although bamboo shoots are still absent from tables in many parts of the world, they have been a staple in Asian cuisine for centuries. The increasing interest in them recently can be attributed to their high nutritional properties, as well as bamboo being the fastest-growing plant on earth, with some species growing about 90 centimeters daily.
Professor Lee Smith, a public health professor and the lead researcher in the study, explained that the results show multiple health benefits of bamboo, emphasizing its potential capacity to address contemporary health challenges, such as diabetes and heart disease, due to its nutritional value and its active compounds.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge conducted a study that included clinical trials on humans and laboratory experiments on human cells to analyze the effect of consuming bamboo shoots on metabolic health. The results showed improvement in controlling blood sugar levels, suggesting a potential role in regulating uncontrolled blood sugar, a key factor in diabetes.
The study also linked the consumption of bamboo shoots to improved blood lipid levels, which could help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by lowering harmful cholesterol levels.
It turns out that bamboo shoots are a rich source of dietary fiber, which helps improve bowel functions. It is known that diets rich in fiber reduce the risk of bowel cancer, by decreasing the duration of potential toxins staying in the digestive system.
Accompanying human studies showed an increase in anti-inflammatory activity and a decrease in cellular toxicity after consuming bamboo, while laboratory experiments revealed effects similar to probiotics, suggesting their ability to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which is a key factor in maintaining digestive health and alleviating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, according to the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom.
The results also indicated that compounds found in bamboo may help reduce the formation of some harmful toxins, such as furan and acrylamide, which form when cooking foods at high temperatures, thus opening the door for its use to make other foods safer.
In contrast, researchers warned of potential risks when consuming bamboo shoots without proper preparation, as this could lead to cyanide poisoning, a compound naturally found in some plants. Symptoms of poisoning can appear quickly, including nausea, weakness, mental confusion, headaches, difficulty breathing, and loss of consciousness.
Some studies have also noted that bamboo shoots contain compounds that may affect the production of thyroid hormones, possibly increasing the likelihood of thyroid gland enlargement, but experts emphasize that these risks can be avoided through proper boiling of the shoots before consumption.
Researchers emphasized that bamboo possesses clear potential as a promising healthy food, however, the limited clinical studies on humans call for more high-quality research before reaching definitive dietary recommendations.
The study was published in the journal Advances in Bamboo Science.
