Nutritional Values and Potential Health Benefits of Millets- A Review

Abstract

In the era of 21st century, rapid urbanisation, climate change, increased population, scarcity of water and increased dry land are the factors responsible for the worldwide agricultural and nutritional challenges. As a widely cultivated popular grain in arid and semiarid regions across the globe, Millets can act as a multifaceted solution to the above global challenges because of their rich vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and anti-oxidant content. In addition to vitamins, Millets are the rich source of flavanoids such as apigenin, catechin, daisein, orientin, isoorientin, lutolin, quercetin, vitexin, isovitexin, myricetin sponarin, violanthin, lucenin-1, and tricin. Further, the presence of essential amino acids enriches the nutritive potential of Millets. The rich anti-oxidant content in Millets reduces oxidative stress in human and animal models by significantly minimizing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation. Several bioactive principles in Millets are known to decrease cardiovascular risk, diabetes, ageing and even cancer. However, nutritive and therapeutic potentials of bioactive compounds found in Millets are underexplored and a systematic review encompassing available data in literature is grossly missing. The aim of this review is to compile the recent advances that have been carried out covering nutritional properties, processing technologies and their effects in reducing anti-nutritional factors enhancing nutrient bioavailability along with the potential health benefits of millets. Consumption of various traditional and modern millet based food and studies conducted in examining the bioavailability of minerals after consuming millet based food is also discussed in this review.

The Nutritional Benefits of Millets for Children

“…Millets have been recognized for their role in providing phytoconstituents, vitamins, minerals, and fibrous materials essential for normal growth and overall nutritional well-being 11 . Among the different types of millets, finger millet stands out for its higher levels of calcium and magnesium compared to other millets, making it a particularly valuable source of these macro-minerals 12 .…”

Nutrition security, constraints, and agro-diversification strategies of neglected and underutilized crops to fight global hidden hunger

“…Different studies on the nutraceutical and pharmacognostic properties of NUCS have revealed presence of good proteins, dietary fibers, minerals, polyphenols, vitamins, and other bioactive compounds. The bioactive compounds in NUCS have the potential to combat chronic ailments such as cancer, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, or diabetes ( 15 , 16 , 95 , 96 ). Despite their several nutrition-rich qualities, improved cultivation strategies for the mass production of these crops are still underdeveloped.…”

Sensory, Proximate and Mineral Properties of Smart Baby-Led Weaning Foods from Millet, Soybean and Ripe Banana Flour Blends

“…In addition to its nutritional quality and being gluten free, millet has been reported to have several health benefits such as prevention of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, reducing tumor incidence, lowering blood pressure, delaying gastric emptying and supplying gastro intestinal bulk [18,19].…”