Tribble
Killjoy Boffin
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2015
- Messages
- 2,956
So, a long time ago, people were told that spinach was high in iron.
Then it was discovered that it wasn't high in iron (it actually inhibits iron uptake) and that this was supposedly caused by a misplaced decimal point.
It's possible that that erroneous decimal point may itself be an urban legend.
Sutton (2010b) argues convincingly that there were entirely other reasons, such as contamination during the analysis or the confusion between fresh and dried spinach, that caused the exaggerated figures in the 19th century. He also criticizes Hamblin for perpetuating another related misconception: that Popeye was created in order to promote spinach for its iron content. According to Sutton (2010a: 13–14), Elzie Crisler Segar had an entirely different nutrient, vitamin A, in mind when he invented Popeye and contributed to a massive increase in spinach consumption in the United States during the 1930s.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0306312714535679
Then it was discovered that it wasn't high in iron (it actually inhibits iron uptake) and that this was supposedly caused by a misplaced decimal point.
It's possible that that erroneous decimal point may itself be an urban legend.
Sutton (2010b) argues convincingly that there were entirely other reasons, such as contamination during the analysis or the confusion between fresh and dried spinach, that caused the exaggerated figures in the 19th century. He also criticizes Hamblin for perpetuating another related misconception: that Popeye was created in order to promote spinach for its iron content. According to Sutton (2010a: 13–14), Elzie Crisler Segar had an entirely different nutrient, vitamin A, in mind when he invented Popeye and contributed to a massive increase in spinach consumption in the United States during the 1930s.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0306312714535679