Most of us know that iceberg lettuce doesn’t provide a tremendous amount of nutrients. Sure, there’s some fiber there but its a lot of water. Well, some researchers have figured out a way to give this old salad standby a blast of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and make it healthier for our consumption.

Steven Britz of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, MD., and colleagues will present the research at the 2009 Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics/International Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/IQEC), which takes place May 31 to June 5 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

After 43 hours of exposure to UVB light, the studied lettuce plants were noticeably redder than other plants that only saw white light. Though the team has yet to quantify this effect, it appears to increase as the intensity of the light increases. This is a healthy way to make our beloved lettuce a little healthier.

Diets rich in antioxidants are thought to provide a variety of health benefits to human beings, from improving brain function to slowing the wear and tear of aging.

Source: Happy News