Sorghum: Next hipster food fad or gluten-free diabetes deterrent?
SYDNEY, Australia — Avocado, kale, quinoa, seaweed: The past decade has seen waves of hipster, millennial and Gen-Z diet trends, not to mention the aggressive marketing of plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products.
Sorghum, meanwhile, is arguably not as Instagram-friendly, at least beyond the pastoral settings where it grows. But it could be next up on the foodie fashion bandwagon going by recently published research from Hokkaido University and the University of Sydney. Boasting "significant nutritional potential that remains largely untapped for human consumption," sorghum has "remarkable health benefits," according to the universities. The researchers said they identified certain lipids known to have anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties in sorghum.
The grain looks similar to millet and although it is largely used in animal feed in many countries, it is also used to make bread, couscous, popcorn, porridge and even beer. Described by the researchers as "abundant" and resilient, hardy sorghum is better for the environment than some cereals because it needs less resources to thrive, they claimed, in research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
About half of the world's sorghum is grown in Brazil, India, Mexico, Nigeria and the US, with Argentina, Australia, China and Ethiopia among the other top 10 producers, as is Sudan, which is racked by war and famine. Sorghum is the world's fifth most widespread cereal crop after rice, wheat, maize and barley.
Sales of gluten-free food have surged in recent years amid a seeming rise in intolerance of or sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in many grains and cereals, which some doctors and scientists have put down to increasing use of wheat-based products and rising consumption of processed food.
But sorghum could be an alternative, the Tokyo and Sydney researchers believe, because of its "gluten-free properties and rich supply of essential fatty acids." Sorghum could be "a solution to nutritional gaps, particularly for individuals with gluten sensitivities or those seeking natural dietary interventions for chronic health conditions as well as lifestyle-associated metabolic diseases," according to Hokkaido University's Siddabasave Gowda."The increasing demand for functional foods that combat lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease while promoting overall well-being," Gowda added.
