Health Benefits of Pearl Millet

The International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 was approved by the Government of India and it was accepted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).IYM is supported by 72 countries. Our prime minister Narendra Modi has also shared his vision to make International Year Of Millet 2023 a ‘People’s Movement’ alongside positioning India as the ‘Global Hub for Millets’. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations organized an opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets – 2023 in Rome, Italy on 6th December 2022. The Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) is the lead agency for celebrating the International Year Of Millet 2023 in collaboration with other stakeholders. IYM  includes many crops like Sorghum (jawar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail, finger millet (ragi), little millet, and brown top millet. This article will focus on the health benefits of Pearl Millet.

Also check out- International Year of Millets: IYM23 – My Biology Dictionary

To begin with, pearl millet is commonly known as ‘BAJRA’ in day-to-day life. One of the oldest millet is Pearl millet which is considered to be poor man’s food. Its biological name is Pennisetum glaucum. India is one of the largest producers of pearl millet in the world. It comes under the family Poaceae. It is an important forage crop among all the crops in Africa, Asia, and America. One of the most drought-resistant crops among cereals and millets. Along with wheat flour, it is also included in our regular diet. It has a very high fibre content so it is healthy. The protein content ranges from 8-19% and it is low in tryptophan, lysine, threonine, and sulfur-containing amino acids. It provides food as well as its stem is also used in making baskets, sunshades, mats, brooms, etc.

Image source:  https://niphm.gov.in/IPMPackages/Pearlmillet.pdf

10 countries that are major producers of pearl millet are India, Nigeria, Niger, China, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, and Senegal.

Nutritional facts of pearl millet 1 CUP{ WEIGH 200gm}:

Protein   22g

Water   17.3g

Ash   6.5g

Total Calories   756gm

Total carbohydrates   146gm

Dietary fibre   17gm

Total fat   8.4gm

Vitamin E   100mcg

Vitamin K   1.8mcg

Thiamine   842mcg

Riboflavin   580mcg

Niacin   9.4mcg

Vitamin B6   768mcg

Calcium   16mg

Iron   6mg

Phosphorous   570mg

Magnesium   228mg

Health benefits of Pearl millet :

•  Due to the high iron content and high zinc content in pearl millet, it helps to prevent anaemia as it helps in increasing haemoglobin.
•  It also helps to treat constipation because it contains high fibre.
•  Moreover, it contains anti-cancer property, which helps to inhibit tumour development.
•  It is also gluten-free, as it acts as an anti-allergic.
•  Due to the low glycemic index in pearl millet, it helps in dealing with diabetes.
• Pearl millet also contains lactic acid bacteria that’s why it helps in probiotic treatment.
•  It has a large amount of phosphorous. Phosphorous is very essential for growth and development as well as for the development of ATP is the energy currency of our body.
• Pearl millet helps to cure stomach ulcers. The most common cause of stomach ulcers is excess acidity in the stomach after food intake. It is one of the few foods that turn the stomach alkaline and prevents the formation of stomach ulcers or also reduces the effect of ulcers.
• Millet contains lignin and phytonutrients which act as potent antioxidants that help to prevent heart-related diseases. So, it is good for heart health. High amounts of magnesium are present in it which further helps to relieve heart stress and control blood pressure.
•  Due to the high concentration of magnesium in pearl millet, it particularly helps reduce respiratory problems like asthma, and emphysema and is also effective in reducing migraine attacks.
•  It is also responsible for reducing weight loss as it is high in fibre content. Owing to its fibre content it takes more time for the grain to move from the stomach to the intestine. In this way, it stays more time in the stomach and reduces hunger for a long period of time and thus helping in lowering the overall consumption of food.
• The high fibre content in pearl millet also helps to reduce the risk of gallstone occurrence. The insoluble fibre content in this reduces the production of excessive bile in our system. An excessive amount of bile secretion in our intestine often leads to aggravating the condition of gallstones.
• Nowadays, teenagers face many problems during mensuration like polycystic ovarian syndrome and polycystic ovarian diseases due to hormonal disorders. Pearl millet helps to cure PCOS and PCOD.
• It contains a high amount of vitamin B9 which is useful in the growth of the foetus during pregnancy.

Country-wise millet production 

Image source: Pei, J., Umapathy, V. R., Vengadassalapathy, S., Hussain, S. F. J., Rajagopal, P., Jayaraman, S., … & Gopinath, K. (2022). A Review of the Potential Consequences of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) for Diabetes Mellitus and Other Biomedical Applications. Nutrients, 14(14), 2932.

How to consume pearl millet?

Pearl millet can consume in many ways. It can use as flour to make flatbread and dosa, grain to make porridge, and can use to make upma as a dish for breakfast. Pearl millet can also be particularly used to make cake and pasta for making it healthy instead of using flour. It also uses to make healthy snacks like millet or multigrain cookies.

Summary

IYM 2023 was approved by the government of India that was supported by 72 countries. It was started in Rome on 6 December 2022. Concluding the health benefits of pearl millet, it is one of the oldest and also known as BAJRA. It has a very high fibre content and protein content is in the range of 8-19%. Eating pearl millet can cure many diseases like anaemia, constipation, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems, diabetes, and migraine attacks. It also helps to prevent PCOS and PCOD. The consumption of pearl millet helps to reduce weight. It can also use as feed for the poultry industry and green fodder or dry fodder for cattle. Overall it is very beneficial in all aspects.

Reference:

Pei, J., Umapathy, V. R., Vengadassalapathy, S., Hussain, S. F. J., Rajagopal, P., Jayaraman, S., … & Gopinath, K. (2022). A Review of the Potential Consequences of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) for Diabetes Mellitus and Other Biomedical Applications. Nutrients, 14(14), 2932.  A Review of the Potential Consequences of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) for Diabetes Mellitus and Other Biomedical Applications – PMC (nih.gov)