A good source of iron

Stuff has a story under the lead

Now that it’s autumn, flu season isn’t far off and there’s plenty you could be doing in the kitchen to give your body that extra oomph for the cold months ahead.

Sadly they don’t mean making a phone call to book a flu vaccine shot: they have a list of herbs and spices with unsupported health claims.

Take the first, cinnamon.  Stuff says “It is high in antioxidants, is an anti-inflammatory and has an effect in lowering blood sugar.”  The  National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health , who are about as sympathetic as you can get to this sort of thing “High-quality clinical evidence (i.e., studies in people) to support the use of cinnamon for any medical condition is generally lacking. An analysis of five clinical trials concluded that cinnamon does not appear to affect factors related to diabetes and heart disease.”

Or, for a total failure to do arithmetic, saffron. Stuff says “It is a good source of vitamins, magnesium and iron.” Now, it’s true that saffron is high in nutrients for its weight. A mere 100g of saffron will supply about two-thirds of your daily iron and magnesium, and substantial amounts of vitamins C and B-6. By weight, it does better than spinach. But the typical serving of saffron is a small fraction of a gram, with nutrient contents that would round to zero in any sensible display.

Following the lines of previous StatsChat food advice, I think the photo caption  just needs a bit of editing: “Herbs and spices are an easy way to add healthy elements  flavour to your diet.

(via Mark Hanna and Bart Janssen)