Misinformation is the headline

I was astounded to see this article in my local paper today.

Popcorn a health food
August 20, 2009
US scientists have discovered that popcorn contains the same amount of healthy antioxidants as fruit and vegetables because it is a whole-grain food.

Researchers at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, found that whole-grain products had comparable antioxidants per gram to fruits and vegetables.

''Early researchers thought that the fibre was the active ingredient for benefits in whole grains, the reason why they may reduce the risk of cancer and coronary heart disease,'' said Joe Vinson, who led the study.

''But recently, polyphenols emerged as potentially more important. We were surprised by the levels of polyphenols we found in popcorn.''

http://www.theage.com.au/world/popcorn-a-health-food-20090819-eqjc.html

I sent the following letter to them. If they don't run it (or something similar, as I'm sure there will be plenty of scientists and health professionals who will leap on this) I'll then pass it on to a TV program called Media Watch which highlights intentional misinformation in the most embarrassing ways.

"I would implore The Age to review your policy over headline choice as this article is an example of misinformation. A single beneficial property in a food does not make it a “health food” when there are other elements which must be restricted. The high salt and fat in popcorn means that in no way is it a health food. Just because it contains high levels of a chemical with antioxidant properties doesn’t mean there are not still increased risks of the cancers and cardiovascular diseases which high salt and fat intakes are associated with. This junk food may be better in some ways than some other junk foods, but it should never be compared to fresh fruit and vegetables."