Whole grains

Studies suggest a relationship between whole grain intake and insulin action. In a study in Italy, 53 adults (40-65 years old) with metabolic syndrome followed one of two different 12-week diets. One group consumed their standard diet, but replacing all grains with whole grains, and one group consumed their standard diet, but choosing only refined cereals. Researchers found that the whole grain group had significantly lower levels of post-meal insulin (29%) and triglyceride levels (43%) than before the 12-week test period, thus reducing the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Based on these findings, the researchers suggest that “the whole-grain diet was able to improve insulin action” after meals, thus providing clues about how whole grain diets reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2014 August;24(8):837-844. (R. Giacco et al.)

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.)

What you eat today may potentially affect your health years later. As part of a prospective study in Germany, researchers analyzed the relationship between the quality of carbohydrates eaten in adolescence and inflammatory markers in young adulthood. The analysis was based on 205 participants (113 girls and 92 boys) with at least two 3-day weighed dietary records during puberty, and blood samples in younger adulthood (18-36 y). Researchers found that eating fewer whole grains and more high Glycemic Index carbohydrates during puberty is predictive of higher interleukin 6 concentrations (a marker of inflammation) in adulthood. 
The Journal of Nutrition. 2014 July 30. [epub ahead of print] (Goletzke et al.)

In 2009, the foods subsidized under the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program changed to include fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, among other changes. Researchers in New Orleans visited small stores in that city when the change was introduced, and then a year later. They found that just 3.7% of stores participating in the WIC program carried whole wheat bread or brown rice in 2009, while 70.4% offered whole wheat bread a year later and 92.6% offered brown rice. Most of this change can be attributed to the impact of the WIC program, as only 1.5% of non-WIC participating small stores carried whole wheat bread in 2010, and only 12.1% carried brown rice. These changes in availability can make healthier choices available not just to people in the WIC program, but to everyone in that neighborhood.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2014 May-Jun;46(3 Suppl);S38-44. (Rose et al.)

Researchers at General Mills teamed up with the University of Minnesota to explore the relationship between whole grain consumption and intake of total dietary fiber. Using NHANES data from 2009-10, they determined that people who eat more whole grain do indeed have higher dietary fiber intake; people who eat fewer whole grains do not make up their fiber shortfall from other sources. Adults obtained most of their whole grains from breads (27%), RTE cereals (20%) and oatmeal (21%), while the breakdown for children and adolescents was breads (24%), RTE cereals (25%) and oatmeal (12%).
Nutrition Research. 2014 Mar;34)3):226-34. (Reicks et al.)

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.)