Boffins say eating like a panda and munching on bamboo can help you live longer

New research has revealed the Asian plant could become the next “superfood” craze with the shoots, which cost around £1 in supermarkets, are packed with protein and fibre

Brits should eat like a panda and tuck into bamboo to live longer, boffins claim. New research has revealed the Asian plant could become the next “superfood” craze.

The shoots, which cost around £1 in supermarkets, are packed with protein, fibre, and are a natural source of vitamins. In the world’s first academic probe of human bamboo consumption, scientists also found it could improve people’s blood sugar levels and the types of fat in the bloodstream.

Study co-author professor Lee Smith, from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said: “Bamboo is already commonly eaten in parts of Asia. And it has huge potential to be a healthy, sustainable addition to diets worldwide — but it must be prepared correctly.

“The multiple health benefits we identified, including its potential to tackle modern health challenges like diabetes and heart disease, are likely due to the nutritional content of bamboo and its extracts, with bamboo rich in proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Our review shows bamboo’s clear promise as a possible ‘superfood’, but there are also gaps in our knowledge.

“We could only find four studies involving human participants that met our criteria, so additional high-quality human trials are necessary before we can make firm recommendations.” Experts say keeping healthy blood sugar levels is vital for beating off diabetes.

But the eggheads warned bamboo must be cooked properly – as some shoots can release killer cyanide if eaten raw. The probe of lab trials also found bamboo shoots had probiotic effects which could support gut health by boosting good bacteria.

Writing in the journal Advances in Bamboo Science, the scientists said: “The high fibre and phytosterol content in bamboo shoots potentially reduces fat and cholesterol levels in the blood. Dietary fibre possesses several positive health outcomes as it aids in the management and control of high blood pressure and obesity, and may offer protection against coronary diseases and potential carcinogens [substances that can cause cancer].”

Other ways of keeping healthy have now been scientifically proven to help people live longer, aside from food. One recent study found that just walking 4,000 steps a day could be enough to extend your life, with every extra step up to 10,000 being shown to reduce the likelihood of heart disease, no matter how long you’re sitting down for.

Researchers from the University of Sydney looked at data gathered from a pot of over 72,000 participants who were given trackers to wear for a week. They found after crunching the numbers that by walking around 9- to 10,000 steps a day, it can help to cancel out the amount of fat your body could amass by sitting for long period of time.

Over the course of the study, which lasted for just under 7 years, they found that even by walking a minimum of 4,000 to 4,500 steps a day, it would do the body a world of good. It also meant the risk of dying younger would also be staved off for longer thanks to the physical benefits it provides.

Speaking on the publication of the results last year, Dr Matthew Ahmadi who helped to lead the study said: “Accruing between 9,000 and 10,000 steps/day optimally lowered the risk of mortality and incident CVD among highly sedentary participants […] Our prospective results provide relevant findings that can be used to augment public health messaging and inform the first generation of device-based physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines, which will likely include specific recommendations on daily stepping.”

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