Wheat

While fruits and vegetables are known as sources of healthy antioxidants and phenolic compounds, research increasingly shows that whole grains contain them too. In this review, researchers analyzed the total phenolic contents, phenolic acid profile and antioxidant activity of several whole grains, including wheat, corn, rice, barley, sorghum, rye, oat and millet. The review shows that whole grains contain a number of phytochemicals (including antioxidants) and significantly exhibit antioxidant activity. Researchers conclude that the consumption of whole grains is considered to have significant health benefits including prevention of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer because of the contribution of phenolic compounds. 
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2014 July 30. [epub ahead of print] (Van Hung P et al.)

Wondering what to have for breakfast? Researchers in Sweden, where rye has been the go-to grain for centuries, set out to compare two breakfast bread choices: whole grain rye crisp bread and (refined) white wheat bread. Although subjects ate similar amounts of each food for breakfast, they reported higher fullness, lower hunger, and less desire to eat after consuming the rye crisp than after eating the white bread. When study participants were allowed to eat as much as they wanted at lunch later that day, those who ate rye crisp for breakfast ate about 8% fewer calories at lunch.
Nutrition Journal. 2014 Mar 25;13(1):26. (Forsberg et al.)

“Leaky gut” is now widely accepted as a contributor to many diseases. Scientists at Denmark’s National Food Institute and the Technical University of Denmark conducted a 12-week energy-restricted intervention with 70 postmenopausal women to observe the effect of a whole wheat diet (n=37) vs a refined wheat diet (n=33). Women who ate the whole wheat diet had significant increases in beneficial bifidobacteria, and an unexpected increase in “trans-epithelial resistance,” a measure of the permeability of the intestinal wall that shows a decrease in “leaky gut.”
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Dec; 67(12):1316-21. (Christensen et al.)

Scientists at the Danish Cancer Society Research Center collaborated on a study to investigate the link between whole grain intake and colorectal cancer. Rather than rely on whole grain intake estimation, they measured levels of alkylresorcinols, which are biomarkers of whole grain rye and wheat intake, in 1372 colorectal cancer patients and an equal number of controls. They found that those with the highest whole grain intake had the lowest risk of distal colon cancer, but did not find a correlation with colon cancer overall, with proximal colon cancer or with rectal cancer.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2013 Dec 7 [Epub ahead of print] (Kyrø et al.) 

To explore differences within the universe of whole grain food options, scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark conducted a randomized cross-over study involving 15 subjects with metabolic syndrome. The subjects sample four kinds of bread: rye bread made with intact kernels, whole wheat bread, whole wheat bread with concentrated arabinoxylan, or whole wheat bread with beta-glucan. The rye kernel bread scored highest on a variety of measures, while the beta-glucan sample also scored well.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Nov 20 [Epub ahead of print] (Hartvigsen et al.)