People are advised to eat at least three servings of whole grains a day.
- The study found a link between higher whole grain intake and lower increased risk factors for certain heart disease.
- Nutrition experts say this may be because the refining removes fiber and heart-healthy nutrients.
- People are advised to eat at least three servings of whole grains a day.
According to a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition, eating whole grains was associated with smaller increases in waist circumference, blood pressure and blood sugar.
This is indeed the case for middle-aged and elderly people who eat at least three servings a day.
Those who eat less than half a day aren't that good either.
More whole grains help reduce heart disease risk factors
The researchers conducted the study to determine how intake of whole grains versus refined grains affects various risk factors for heart disease, including waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol.
The team used data from the Framingham Heart Study Descendants Cohort, which began in the 1970s, to assess these risk factors.
A total of 3,121 people participated in the study. Most are white, with an average age in their 50s.
The researchers looked at the participants' health outcomes over an average of 18 years to determine the effects of whole grains and refined grains.
They compared the changes that occurred every four years.
The team found that people who consumed more whole grains had a smaller increase in waist circumference.
In addition, those who ate fewer whole grains had greater increases in blood sugar and systolic blood pressure.
Reduced refined grain intake was also associated with a greater average decline in triglyceride levels.
Whole grains contain fiber and heart-healthy nutrients
According to Dr. Mary-Jon Ludy, chair of the Department of Public Health and Joint Health at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and associate professor of food and nutrition, whole grains are better for us because they contain all the edible parts of grain: bran, germ, and endosperm.
She explains that when grains are refined, fiber-rich bran and nutrient-rich germs are removed. The remaining endosperm is mainly starchy carbohydrates and small amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Ludy says these lost ingredients play an important role in health.
"Fiber helps maintain stable blood sugar levels, can lower cholesterol, and promote healthy digestion," she explains.
"The combination of fiber with B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin), vitamin E, minerals (iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc) provides many disease prevention benefits, including reduced inflammation levels and heart disease, hypertensive incidence, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and obesity."
She does want to point out, however, that refined grains may contain nutrients such as folic acid, which are not naturally present in whole grains. If you're trying to increase your intake of whole grains, especially if you're pregnant or probably pregnant, it's best to make sure you're getting enough folic acid.
How to add more whole grains to your diet
Dr. Colleen Tewkesbury, a national spokeswoman for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said dietary guidelines for Americans recommend eating at least three servings of whole grains a day.
Refined grains should be limited to three servings or less.
One serving is usually equivalent to a small slice of bread or half a cup of cooked grain product, such as pasta, oats, quinoa or rice.
"A good place to start," Tewksbury says, "is to look at what refined grain foods you've eaten and see if you can replace them with whole grains."
"Eat noodles? Maybe try replacing it with whole wheat pasta," she said. "The same goes for bread or other bread products."
According to the Oldways Whole Grains Council, an easy way to determine if a food contains whole grains is to look for whole grain seals. They say that to reach the recommended whole grain intake, you can eat three servings of food with a 100% stamp or six servings of food with any whole grain stamp.
If there is no seal, they recommend looking elsewhere in the product for a declaration that the product contains whole grains. If the first ingredient on the label is a whole grain, then it is likely to be primarily a whole grain.
Some of the terms that can be used to identify whole grains include:
- Whole Grain [Grain Name]
- Whole wheat
- Whole [other grains]
- Stone ground whole piece [grain]
- Brown rice
- Oats, oatmeal (including vintage oatmeal, instant oatmeal)
- Wheat berries