Chubby Chicagoans Rejoice, Pizza Can Be Healthy

By Louis in Food on Mar 27, 2007 9:20PM

During a presentation at the American Chemical Society in Chicago, researchers from the University of Maryland presented their findings on the benefits of whole wheat based products.

The result? If whole wheat pizza dough is given more time to rise and the baking time is increased, the number of antioxidants in the dough increases significantly. This probably won't kill all those calories that keep us from enjoying pizza every night of the week, but it may make your body more healthy by removing free radicals in your cells. Additionally, food based antioxidants have been demonstrated to be more effective than supplement based antioxidants.

Some of the most important benefits of antioxidants are reducing cholesterol buildup, reducing some forms of cancer, reduced risk of age-related illnesses such as heart problems and cataracts, quicker healing of wounds, and a younger physical appearance.

However, the research presented only proves that the changes in pizza making increases antioxidants, not proof of any actual benefits. Increased calorie consumption and processing increases the oxidation in the body and, as the name suggests, has the opposite effect of antioxidants. Pizza isn't exactly lo-cal, so it seems that the changes may just act to balance out some of the damage that pizza causes. Though we are aware of no damage that delicious pizza could ever cause, pizza is good for you, right?

The only whole wheat pizza crust we know of at any of the main Chicago Pizzerias is Edwardos, but we are sure there are probably a lot in the city.

Image via taco bell parking lot