Eating a bowl of popcorn while watching movies could give your health a boost, according to a new research.Scientists have found that snack foods like popcorn and many popular breakfast cereals contain 'surprisingly large' amounts of healthful antioxidant substances called 'polyphenols.'

Polyphenols are a major reason why fruits and vegetables - and foods like chocolate, wine, coffee, and tea - have become famous for their potential role in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.

The is the first-of-its kind study to establish that whole grain cereals - regarded as healthful for their fiber content - and snack foods also were a source of polyphenols.

"Early researchers thought the fiber was the active ingredient for these benefits in whole grains, the reason why they may reduce the risk of cancer and coronary heart disease," said Joe Vinson, a chemist at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and lead author of the study.

"But recently, polyphenols emerged as potentially more important. Breakfast cereals, pasta, crackers, and salty snacks constitute over 66 percent of whole grain intake in the U.S. diet," Vinson added.

"We found that, in fact, whole grain products have comparable antioxidants per gram to fruits and vegetables. This is the first study to examine total phenol antioxidants in breakfast cereals and snacks, whereas previous studies have measured free antioxidants in the products," he added.

Polyphenols are a group of chemicals found in many fruits, vegetables, and other plants, such as berries, walnuts, olives, tea leaves and grapes. Known as antioxidants, they remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals are chemicals that have the potential to cause damage to cells and tissues in the body.

According to Vinson, the whole grain cereal with the most antioxidants are made with wheat, with corn, oats and rice cereals following in descending order.

He also noted that raisin bran has the highest amount of antioxidants per serving, primarily due to the raisins.Vinson said that bran cereals made from wheat overall do not have more antioxidants than wheat cereals, though they do have more fiber.