Microgreen and Nutrition Research

Comprehensive Evidence Review of the Benefits of Microgreens, Indoor Cultivation, and Nutritional Outcomes

Our goal is to provide an exhaustive list of relevant research and educational articles about microgreens. If you have additional research that you would like to see included here, please reach out to our contact team.

This first research article is the one most quoted when talking about the nutrients found in microgreens:

• Wang and Xiao found that microgreens contain four to 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts
• USDA article on minerals in microgreens

• https://microveggy.com/health-benefits/
• Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens 3
• INSIGHTS INTO MICROGREENS PHYSIOLOGY
•  The role of carotenoids in human health
• The Role of Vitamin E in Human Health and Some Diseases
• Broccoli Microgreens: A Mineral-Rich Crop That Can Diversify Food Systems
• Microgreens of Brassicaceae: Mineral composition and content of 30 varieties
• Comparison between the mineral profile and nitrate content of microgreens and mature lettuces
• Natural phenolic compounds from medicinal herbs and dietary plants: potential use for cancer prevention
• Amaranth sprouts and microgreens – a homestead vegetable production option to enhance food and nutrition security in the rural-urban continuum
• Lipids and Cholesterol-Lowering Activity of Red Cabbage Microgreens
• Evaluation of buckwheat sprouts as microgreens
• Changes in phenols contents from buckwheat sprouts during growth stage
•  J Agric Food Chem. Polyphenols in brassica microgreens  Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 Nov 20.
• Published in final edited form as: J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Nov 20; 61(46): 10960–10970. Published online 2013 Nov 5. doi: 10.1021/jf401802n

Microgreen and Dietary Research articles

• Science confirms you really should eat your brassica
• Which Minerals Are in Microgreens?
• Microgreens for Nutritional Securuity in India
• Researchers with the College of AGNR study nutrient-packed microgreens
• Eating More Fruits and Veggies May Improve Your Memory—According to New Research (2022) Results suggest that dietary intakes of total flavonols and several flavonol constituents may be associated with slower decline in global cognition and multiple cognitive abilities with older age.
• Di Gioia, F., & Santamaria, P. (2021, September 28). Small but mighty: Microgreens go from trendy vegetables to functional food. Penn State University News. https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/small-mighty-microgreens-go-trendy-vegetables-functional-food/

Microgreens for Weight Loss

Eat your microgreens

Mental health, diet quality, and vegetables 2026

1. Firth J, et al. “The ‘Lancet Psychiatry Commission’ or similar?**
   Better source for a broad review:**
   Marx W, Moseley G, Berk M, Jacka F. “Nutritional psychiatry: the present state of the evidence.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2017.
   Broad overview of how diet quality relates to mental health.
2. Lassale C, et al. “Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.” Molecular Psychiatry. 2019.
   Useful for the link between overall diet quality and depression risk.
3. Głąbska D, et al. “Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mental Health in Adults: A Systematic Review.” Nutrients. 2020.
   Very useful for the specific fruit-and-vegetable angle.
4. Lai JS, et al. “A systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary patterns and depression in community-dwelling adults.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014.
   Strong support for the association between higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, fish, and whole grains and lower depression risk.
5. Grajek M, et al. “Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health.” 2022.
   Good general review on mechanisms such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and the gut-brain axis.

Fiber, gut-brain connection, and depression

6. Saghafian F, et al. “Dietary fiber intake, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Nutrition Reviews. 2023.
   Helpful for the fiber-and-mental-health piece.
7. Aslam H, et al. “Fiber intake and fiber intervention in depression and anxiety.” 2023.
   Useful for discussing fiber and the microbiota-gut-brain axis carefully.
8. Xu H, et al. “Exploration of the association between dietary fiber intake and depressive symptoms in adults.” 2018.
   Supports the association between total, vegetable, and fruit fiber and fewer depressive symptoms.

Addiction, substance use, and nutrition

9. Jeynes KD, Gibson EL. “The importance of nutrition in aiding recovery from substance use disorders: a review.” 2017.
   Good review for the statement that nutrition is often overlooked in addiction recovery and may matter in outcomes.
10. Mahboub N, et al. “Nutritional status and eating habits of people who use drugs and/or are undergoing treatment for recovery: a narrative review.” 2020.
    Strong source for disrupted eating, malnutrition, and poor nutritional status in substance use populations.
11. White B, et al. “A Complex Interplay between Nutrition and Alcohol Use Disorder.” 2024.
    Useful for the alcohol-specific nutrition section.
12. Barve S, et al. “Development, Prevention, and Treatment of Alcohol-Induced Organ Injury: The Role of Nutrition.” 2017.
    Good support for alcohol affecting intake, absorption, utilization, and excretion of nutrients.
13. Jophlin L, et al. “Nutritional deficiencies in alcohol use disorder and alcohol-associated liver disease.” 2024.
    Another good current source on nutritional deficiencies in AUD.

Public-health guidance and produce intake

14. CDC. “Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations.” MMWR. 2022.
    Strong source for the “about 1 in 10 adults” statistic.
15. CDC. “State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables.” Updated 2024.
    Useful background source on low produce intake in the U.S.
16. CDC. “Strategies for Fruit and Vegetable Voucher Incentives and Produce Prescriptions.” 2024.
    Useful if you want to mention access barriers and practical solutions.
17. WHO. “Healthy diet.” Updated January 26, 2026.
    Good for broad, conservative public-health language on fruit and vegetable intake and healthy diet patterns.

Minerals, Sustainability

• Broccoli Microgreens: A Mineral-Rich Crop That Can Diversify Food Systems
• Phytonutrients: Clinical Evidence of the Benefits of Phytonutrients in Human Healthcare 
• Microgreens are considered super vegetables – includes video with researcher
• Like fresh herbs? Try microgreen gardening
• Drinking water with meals increases vegetable consumption. Research by T. Bettina Cornwell of the University of Oregon and Anna R. McAlister of Michigan State University.

Nutrition and Children

• Ultra-processed food advertising that targets children in the United States
• Children who eat more fruit and veggies have better mental health  Date: September 28, 2021 Source: University of East Anglia, UK
• 2% of teens eat enough vegetables, “Poor diet quality is a leading risk factor associated with death and disability in the United States.1,2 Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet can help protect against a number of serious and costly chronic diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity”
•  Food Marketing to Children and Youth – Free PDF download

Curriculum Connections:

• Knott, S., & Wyant, C. (n.d.). Growing microgreens. National Agriculture in the Classroom. https://agclassroom.org/matrix/resource/1303/
• Oregon State University. (n.d.). Growing microgreens in the classroom. OSU Extension Service. https://workspace.oregonstate.edu/farm-to-school-and-nutrition-education-growing-microgreens-in-the-classroom
• Barresi, J. (2018). 14-day salad: Using project-based learning to grow microgreens. Teaching Young Children, 11(4). https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/apr2018/project-based-learning-microgreens

The following references were posted in NSF, referenced, and tagged on July 11, 2018.