Superfoods: The Real Story (Series 2 Episode 2 on Channel 4+1)

Coffee helps to prevent liver damage

Italy

• Anti-inflammatory properties, and antioxidants. 
• Can neutralise toxins which damage liver.
• Instant coffee has the same benefits – components of coffee is the same. ‘Superfood’ for the liver.
• Decaf coffee has the same benefits as caffienated

Study using rats found that feeding them a fatty diet with caffiene added reduced the damage to the liver, compared to a rat on a high fatty diet with no caffiene.  A person would have to drink 4 cups of coffee a day to experience the full benefits. This is a normal amount for many Italians. The Department of Health agrees that this amount is safe.

Saffron can be used as an anti-depressant

Morocco

• Up to £75 per gram, reserved for use at weddings. 
• Used as face paint to identify the bride. 
• Saffron tea given as sacred drink to life mood of important wedding guests.
• Herbalist says that saffron helps with circulation, memory and can be used as an aphrodisiac. He recommends three stamens for an ‘explosive night’.
• Two to three stamens placed in hot milk can be served as a drink to treat depression
• Natural anti-oxidant
• More evidence to show it is an effective anti-depressants, fewer side effects than medication.

Physiological studies into saffron being carried out. 30mg / day 10-20 saffron threads a day. 

Teff can help prevent iron deficiencies

Etheopia

• 3x more iron than in spinach (beans, eggs and oily fish also contain iron)
• Available at health food stores and some supermarkets in a variety of products such as sprinkles, oats, milk.
• Diet can be the reason Etheopia doesn’t have iron deficiency problem, as everyone eats teff regularly (if not daily) 
• Since moving to UK diet of female athlete changed and she developed iron deficiency. After a break back in Etheopia iron levels returned to normal
• Can help run for longer.  Pilot study showed this, but larger studies needed to make this official.

Iron helps red blood cells function and carries oxygen around the body. Female athletes need more iron than males. 1 in 5 women in the UK are iron deficient, with 1 in 3 female athletes also being so. 

A woman training for the  London marathon decided to test the theory that eating teff daily can prevent iron deficiencies. A blood test showed that her iron levels were low, and after eating Teff for several weeks her irons levels had dropped further, but this may have been because running ruptures some red blood cells with each foot strike, meaning she was constnatly losing some iron as she trained. However, eating teff meant that she had prevented some iron loss.