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Eating grasshoppers linked to better sleep, hair and libido in study
Throw out your spinach and trash your quinoa, because a new study has highlighted grasshoppers as a superfood that could increase your sleep quality, hair, and libido.
While most of us understand that the latest McDonald’s release is not the answer to your health questions, understanding what’s healthy isn’t always easy. From the unsafe plastic cutting boards to the presence of harmful bacteria, who knew eating was such a complicated activity?
Eating grasshoppers can give you a better night’s sleep
If you often venture to the depths of the internet, then you might be familiar with the growing trend of consuming chia seed water. Though the health benefits are immeasurable, some have said it’s disgusting.
Well now there’s another option, though honestly, it might be more gross than chia seed water.
In a study published in the journal Food Science of Animal Products, researchers from Cameroon, central Africa, shared the health benefits of eating grasshoppers. They reached their gross conclusion by feeding rats a diet of Ruspolia nitidula, a type of edible grasshopper common in Cameroon.
Over a 12-week period, scientists at the University of Dschang monitored several factors like body weight, sleep patterns, sexual behavior, and hair quality.
One of the clearest markers of success was the obvious increase in libido, with the rats on the grasshopper diet having increased sexual behavior compared to the rodents on other diets.
Without the aid of a sleep girl mocktail, the rats also experienced better sleep quality as they racked up nearly 12 hours of extra sleep per week.
Perhaps the biggest effect was hair quality
Considering the fact we all have hair and are constantly on the hunt for methods to improve quality, the study’s greatest success was the dramatic improvement of the rat’s hair.
A shocking 94.58% of hairs examined from grasshopper-fed rats were in excellent condition, which was significantly greater than the 5.55% of hairs from fishmeal-fed rats.
Our findings highlight the significant potential of edible insects like Ruspolia nitidula as alternative protein sources, the study’s authors said. The grasshopper meal not only meets nutritional needs but also offers substantial health benefits, including improved libido, better sleep, and enhanced hair quality, with far-reaching implications for both animal and human diets.
In a world rife with food insecurity, the Cameroon study has added to the voices calling for insects to become a more readily available protein source.
