Chickpeas, lentils are more nutritious than oats, wheat: Study

The study, published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, showed that chickpeas and lentils contain more zinc and iron -- key vitamins for better nutrition than oats and wheat

Chickpeas and lentils, either whole or in flour form, offer more nutritional value to the human diet than products made from oats and wheat, a new study said on Wednesday. 

The study, published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, showed that chickpeas and lentils contain more zinc and iron -- key vitamins for better nutrition than oats and wheat.

The team from the University of Adelaide looked at the bioavailability of micronutrients in products that are available to the public.

"We found that all the pulse products, like chickpea and lentil flours, were excellent sources of micronutrients," said Thi Diem Nguyen, doctoral candidate in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, at the varsity.

"Particularly for zinc and iron nutrition, they outperformed cereal products like oat and wheat flours," Nguyen added.

Zinc and iron deficiencies can have harmful health consequences, especially for children and pregnant people.

Fortification of these nutrients in food can either be done by growers, through the use of fertilisers, or by adding them as ingredients, such as during the baking process for bread products.

"Our results indicated that pulse products, such as chickpeas and lentils, are superior sources of protein and minerals, particularly of zinc and iron, with higher micronutrient bioavailability compared to the cereal products tested,” said Dr. Stephanie Watts-Fawkes, a group leader and Future Making Fellow at the Waite Research Institute.

The bioavailability of zinc and iron, which is the ability of the human body to extract nutrients from food, is also affected by other elements present in cereal crops.

"Nutrient absorption can be limited by co-existing antinutritional factors in cereal grain, like the presence of phytate," Nguyen said.

"Individuals at risk of micronutrient deficiencies could include more pulses in their meals, which are rich in protein, zinc, and iron, and have high bioavailability," she said.

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