Cereal fiber

Nicola McKeown and a team of Tufts researchers studied 434 older (age 60 to 80) adults, comparing their diet to their body fat and abdominal fat composition. No significant association was found between body composition and intake of total fiber or vegetable and fruit fiber. Whole grain intake and cereal fiber intake, however, correlated strongly with lower BMI, lower total percent body fat and lower abdominal (“trunk fat”) mass in older adults.
Journal of Nutrition, October 2009; 139(10);1950-1955. DOI:10.3945/jn.108.103762

Soluble fibers from whole grains and fruits may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome in people with Type 2 diabetes. That’s the finding of T Steemburgo and a team of researchers in Brazil. Their cross-sectional study of 214 patients seems to indicate that greater consumption of fruits and vegetables may blunt some of the additional risks associated with diabetes.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2009; 63, 127–133

A team of German researchers led by Matthias Schulze followed over 16,000 adults for a period of seven years and found that those who ate the most cereal fiber had a 27% lower risk of developing diabetes than those who ate the least. No link was noted with total fiber – just with cereal fiber.
Archives of Internal Medicine, May 2007; 14; 167(9):956-65

A UK study suggests that women who eat large amounts of fiber – particularly fiber from cereals and possibly fruit – could cut breast cancer risk in half. The effect was greatest on pre-menopausal women, which Janet Cade and her team at Leeds University say may be because fiber affects the way the body processes and regulates the female hormone estrogen.
International Journal of Epidemiology, April 2007; 36(2):431-8

C-reactive protein (CRP), a known marker for inflammation, is increasingly accepted as a good predictor of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A high-fiber diet – whether from foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables or from fiber supplements – can cut CRP levels up to 40%. Ironically, the effect was more pronounced in healthy lean people than in obese ones, according to lead researcher Dana King at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Archives of Internal Medicine, March 2007; 12; 167(5):502-6

The risk of periodontitis, a serious inflammation of the gums that is the major cause of tooth loss in adults, may be reduced by eating more whole grains. Anwar Merchant and colleagues at McMaster University in Ontario studied more than 34,000 men over a 14-year period, and concluded that three to four servings of whole grains daily “may be optimal to reduce periodontitis risk.”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2006; vol 83(6):1395-1400

Researchers led by Dr. Mark Pereira collected data on 91,058 men and 245,186 women who participated in 10 studies in the US and Europe. After 6-10 years of followup, the research showed that, for each 10 grams of fiber consumed per day, there was a 14% reduction in heart disease risk and a 25% reduction in risk of dying from heart disease. In short, the cereal fiber in whole grains appears to make heart disease much less likely—and less serious if it does occur.
Archives of Internal Medicine, February 2004; vol 164:370-376

Dr. Nicola McKeown and fellow researchers at Tufts University found that people who eat three or more servings of whole grains a day, especially from high-fiber cereals, are less likely to develop insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, common precursors of both Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Diabetes Care, February 2004; vol 27:538-546