Whole grains

In a small study in Rome, 13 postmenopausal women took part in a randomized double-blind crossover trial. For two 4-week periods, they ate whole grain breakfast cereals, biscuits or pasta high in lignans or refined grain foods, separated by a two-week washout period. A modest decrease in cholesterol was observed during the whole grain phase of the study.
International Journal of Food Sciences & Nutrition. 2014 Mar 10. [epub ahead of print] (Durazzo et al.)

66,000 pregnant Norwegian women answered food frequency questionnaires and were subsequently classified into three dietary pattern groups: “prudent” (vegetables, fruits, oils, water as beverage, whole grain cereals, fiber-rich bread), “Western” (salty and sweet snacks, white bread, desserts, processed meat products) and “traditional” (potatoes, fish). They found that women following a “prudent” or “traditional” diet were at a lower risk of preterm delivery.
BMJ. 2014 Mar 4;348:g1446. (Englund-Ögge et al.)

Norwegian researchers reviewed data from more than 50,000 adults to investigate possible associations between central obesity and diet. After adjusting for confounding variables, they found that people with central obesity ate less bread, especially whole grain bread. They also had lower intake of fruits, berries, vegetables, pasta and rice – and higher intake of sausages, hamburgers and boiled potatoes. Researchers especially cited decreased consumption of whole grain bread and increased consumption of sugar-free drinks as being of special clinical significance.
Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 2014 Feb 12:1-10 (Mostad et al.)

Scientists in Iran conducted a randomized controlled crossover trial with 44 overweight or obese adolescent girls, to gauge the impact of whole grain consumption on markers of systemic inflammation. After a two-week run-in period, half the girls ate a diet where at least half their grains were whole grains, while the others avoided whole grains entirely in favor of refined grains. After six weeks, both groups observed a four-week washout period, then the groups switched. When the girls ate whole grains, C-reactive protein (an important inflammation marker) reduced by an average of 21.8%; when they ate refined grains, CRP went up about 12.1%. Other inflammation markers were also significantly reduced during the whole grain period.
Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2014 Jan 20, Epub ahead of print. [Hajishemi et al.]

Whether decreasing saturated fat (SFAs) can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)depends on what replaces the SFAs. A review of current research, carried out by Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton at Penn State and others, shows that replacing SFAs with unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated or monounsaturated), with lean protein, or with whole grain carbohydrates all reduce CVD risk. However, “replacing SFAs with refined carbohydrate does little to alter risk.”
Current Opinion in Lipidology. 2013 Dec 17 [Epub ahead of print] (Flock et al.)

Researchers working with Dr. Chris Seal at Newcastle University in the UK carried out an intervention to explore links between diet and periodontal disease. Fifty-one participants (30-65 years old) were divided into two groups; half received customized dietary advice to increase fruits, vegetables and whole grains. At 3 and 6 months post dietary change, the intervention had significantly higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, and at 6 months, higher levels of whole grain consumption; this difference showed up as a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity. However, no differences were observed in periodontal measures.
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2013 Dec 6 [Epub ahead of print] (Zare et al.)

Scottish researchers, citing increasing evidence that the protective benefit of whole grains is due to positive changes in gut microbiota due to phytophenols from plant fiber, compared the phytophenols in recommended serving sizes of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. They found that the whole grain cereals delivered substantially higher amounts of phytophenols available for metabolism in the colon, which “may, in part, explain the evidence for the protective effects of whole-grain cereals.”
Food Chemistry. 2013 Dec 1; 141(3):2880-6. (Neacsu et al.)

While many studies have linked whole grain consumption with lower risk of some colon cancers, little research has been done on whether whole grain consumption aids survival once cancer strikes. Scandinavian researchers studied data from the HELGA cohort, and found no evidence of an association between higher whole grain intake and survival rates in Scandinavian patients.
Nutrition and Cancer. 2013 Nov 25 [Epub ahead of print] (Skeie et al.)

In an animal study in Malaysia, scientists compared the antioxidant activity in white rice, brown rice and sprouted brown rice. While brown rice fared better than white rice, it was the sprouted brown rice that was found to have the highest antioxidant activity. Additionally, researchers found that sprouted brown rice lowered the level of liver enzymes associated with liver toxicity (a side effect of some cholesterol lowering medications).
Food Chemistry. 2013 November 15;141(2):1306-12. (Mohd Esa N et al.)

Researchers analyzed the food intake and cognitive function in a group of 3,831 older adults in Utah over 11 years. Those most closely following a DASH diet (a healthy diet used to treat hypertension that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and limited sweets and salt) or Mediterranean diet at the start of the study were found to have consistently better cognitive function than those not following those diets. In particular, whole grains, nuts, and legumes were all linked with better cognitive function, and the researchers concluded that these “may be core neuroprotective foods common to various healthy plant-centered diets around the globe.”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Nov;98(5):1263-71. (Wengreen H et al.)