Of course, these benefits are most pronounced in the context of an overall healthy diet. No one food – even whole grains – will guarantee good health. It’s also important to remember that some whole grain foods are healthier than others. Plain grains — from brown rice and quinoa to wheat berries –– and whole grain pasta should be a regular feature on your table, with processed grains eaten less often. Sure a whole grain cookie is better for you than a refined grain one, all other ingredients being equal — but it’s still a cookie!
Check out the Oldways website for overall diet information and inspiration about the health benefits of traditional diets, including the Mediterranean Diet.
The main benefits of whole grains
The benefits of whole grains most documented by repeated studies include:
- reduced risk of stroke
- reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
- reduced risk of heart disease
- better weight maintenance
- less inflammation
- lower risk of colorectal cancer
2017 Summary of Recent Whole Grain Health Research
In 2009, the Oldways Whole Grains Council released a research summary of major studies analyzing the health benefits of whole grains and published from 2004 to 2008 (archived below). In the years since, more than 100 new studies on this topic have deepened our understanding of why whole grains support good health. In this new report, we’ve summarized 112 studies published between 2012 and 2017, to make this knowledge available to health professionals, policy makers, and anyone else who can benefit from this compilation.
Download the 2012-2017 Research Summary (1.7MB PDF)
2017 ICQC Scientific Consensus on Whole Grains
At the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC) meeting in September 2017, participants gathered in Rome to create a new consensus statement focused on the benefits of whole grains, since grains are the major source of carbohydrates globally. (See here for background on Oldways’ previous work with the ICQC.)
Download the 2017 ICQC Scientific Consensus on Whole Grains (PDF)