Super foods, green shell mussels, kūmara, feijoa, macadamia nuts and blackcurrants. Illustration / Paul Slater
Super foods, green shell mussels, kūmara, feijoa, macadamia nuts and blackcurrants. Illustration / Paul Slater
Mussels for muscles, macadamia nuts for metabolism and fat-fighting feijoas: science reporter Jamie Morton looks at fascinating insights scientists have learned about five Kiwi staples.
Mussel powder is muscle power
They’re packed with protein, boost brain health and also, it seems, they’re great for gym junkies.
Trials involving 20 healthyuntrained men have revealed powdered New Zealand greenshell mussels can help soothe muscles after a big work-out.
The researchers closely observed the participants after they ran strenuous bench-stepping exercises, checking on a list of biological indicators at one, two and three days after.
Their results showed that taking 3g of Sanford’s Pernaultra powder sped up recovery of muscle function, while easing lingering soreness.
Study co-author and Cawthron Institute scientist Matt Miller said the findings were a first – but confirmed what researchers had long suspected.
“We have now proven you can shave a day off your recovery from a strenuous event which should have all elite athletes and weekend warriors as excited.”
NZ blackcurrants boost your immunity - and performance
New Zealand blackcurrants can motivate us to exercise.
Similarly, the powerful little berry that is the New Zealand blackcurrant has plenty of handy traits for training.
“When we exercise, we produce a lot of physiological stress on our bodies,” said Dr Dominic Lomiwes, a science team leader at Plant and Food Research.
“Blackcurrants promote our body’s natural antioxidant systems - to help recovery - and that has implications in terms of health.
“Post-exercise, the hypothesis is that we are left more susceptible to colds and flu – but if you consume blackcurrants in a timely manner prior to exercise, it aids recovery and helps to close that window of susceptibility.”
Along with boosting immunity and cognitive performance, blackcurrants can even offer a handy edge for elite athletes: a University of Auckland analysis concluded they could improve sports performance by 0.45 per cent.
Although that might not seem like much, it’s worth considering the average difference between gold and silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics was estimated at a mere 0.54 per cent.
Can feijoas aid weight loss?
Feijoas are loaded with health-boosting goodness.
Widely loved and found everywhere in Aotearoa, the humble feijoa might also offer a tangy tool to prevent Type 2 diabetes.
University of Auckland researchers have been investigating whether a daily gram of whole-fruit feijoa powder can help reverse pre-diabetes in overweight or obese people with raised sugar levels.
It’s the first time that researchers anywhere have turned to the popular autumn fruit to stave off the onset of the condition, estimated to affect some 200,000 Kiwis and nearly half a billion people worldwide.
They suspect adding feijoa powder to diet plans will be beneficial because of helpful compounds in the fruit – namely polyphenols and abscisic acid found in its skin.
For all of us, meanwhile, feijoas are loaded with health-boosting goodness.
They’re high in antioxidants and minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium: not to mention fibre and vitamin C.
Stopping the yawns with macadamia nuts
A type of Kiwi-grown macadamia nuts has been shown to beat overseas counterparts when it comes to three key components within the super-nutritious nut.
That’s selenium, vitamin C and vitamin B6, of which Eastern Bay of Plenty’s Torere Macadamias carried concentrations known to combat tiredness and maintain a healthy metabolism.
Torere Macadamias' nuts have been shown to outcompete international counterparts. Photo / Torere Macadamias
Research has also found they’re a fine source of dietary fibre, magnesium and manganese for bone and joint health – while free from trans fatty acids and low in sodium and cholesterol.
“Knowing what nutrients are at dietary significant quantities in foods allows consumers to choose a diet personalised to meet the criteria of importance to them,” said Dr Carolyn Lister of Plant and Food Research, which carried out a recent analysis of the nuts.
A sweet way to help bubs sleep
A staple of any proper Kiwi roast, kūmara are also thought to foster bacteria immensely important for the gut-health of our newborns.
There’s now plenty of evidence to show how breastfeeding supports the development of a baby’s microbiome, with the largest concentration of micro-organisms found in the large bowel.
“But we don’t know what happens when you start introducing solid foods and how that impacts on further development of the microbiome, but also of immune competence and metabolic function,” the University of Auckland’s Professor Clare Wall said.
At this point, Wall and colleagues suspected kūmara - teeming with dietary fibres and certain carbohydrates known to nourish the bugs in the large bowel – could offer a good choice of nutrition.
“When you feed your bugs in your large bowel with carbohydrate-type foods, when they break them down, they produce short-chain fatty acids.”
Those acids are key for keeping the gut healthy, but also for producing signals to the brain, and providing energy that might help with babies’ immunity – and sleep.
Wall’s team are now exploring those potential benefits in a world-first study involving local infants.
Jamie Morton is a specialist in science and environmental reporting. He joined the Herald in 2011 and writes about everything from conservation and climate change to natural hazards and new technology.
