Whole grains

Increasing attention is being paid to overall dietary patterns and their relationship to health, rather than single nutrients or foods. In one such study of more than 50,000 African-American women, researchers led by Tanya Agurs-Collins of the U.S. National Cancer Institute found that eating a “prudent diet” (high in fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains) rather than a “Western diet” (more refined grains, processed meats, sweets) cut the risk of breast cancer. The findings were especially strong for thinner, younger women and for certain types of breast cancer.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2009; vol 90, No. 3, 621-628. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27666

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School followed 31,784 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for 18 years, and found that about one-third developed hypertension, or high blood pressure. The researchers found that men who ate the most whole grains had a 19% reduced risk of developing high blood pressure. Those with higher bran consumption had a 15% reduced risk of hypertension, leading researchers to conclude that bran may play an important role in the prevention of hypertension.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2009. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27460

In Quebec, a University of Laval team led by André Tchernof, studied 115 post-menopausal women and found that those with markers showing more consumption of plant lignans had, on average, a BMI 4 points lower than women with the lowest levels of the markers. They also had better blood sugar control and lower blood pressure. Lignans are found in whole grains, as well as in fruits and vegetables.
British Journal of Nutrition, July 2009; 102(2):195-200. Online First View February 2009, DOI:10.1017/S0007114508162092

Italy’s National Research Council (CNR) just published a study showing that healthy middle-age adults lowered total cholesterol by 4.3% and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 4.9%, by eating whole grains instead of refined grains. The crossover study randomly assigned the 15 subjects to consume either refined or whole grains, in two equal-calorie diets. After three weeks, both groups took a “washout” break for two weeks, then switched diets. Although researchers reported no changes in blood or fat metabolism, hormones associated with insulin levels, compounds linked to immune response, magnesium levels, or CRP (a marker of inflation) with either diet, the subjects’ fasting cholesterol levels definitely improved on the whole grain diet.
Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease, online June 9, 2009. DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2009.03.025

Athletes often choose sports drinks to aid with muscle recovery after endurance exercise. A recent study by Lynne Kammer and her team at the University of Texas compared the effects of ingesting a popular carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink to those from eating whole grain cereal with low-fat milk, and concluded that the whole grain cereal and milk choice was equal to the sports drink in initiating post-exercise muscle recovery.
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, May 2009; 6:11. DOI:10.1186/1550-2783-6-11

Researchers in Brazil conducted a meta-analysis of 11 cohort studies including 1,719,590 participants, who were followed from 6 to 16 years. Their overall conclusion was that “consumption of whole grains was inversely associated with the risk of developing colorectal cancer.”
International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, March 2009; 21:1-13

Nutrition and food scientists at the University of Maryland, led by Professor Liangli Yu, studied the antioxidant activity in whole wheat pizza doughs fermented for different periods and cooked at different temperatures. They found that dough left to ferment for 48 hours had a 130 percent rise in a major wheat antioxidant – and that cooking the pizza for just 7 minutes at 288°C (550° F) resulted in a pie that had the highest oxygen radical absorbing and scavenging capacities.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2009. DOI:10.1021/jf802083x

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 Dutch researchers led by LPL van de Vijver studied 2078 men and 2159 women aged 55-69 years, and found that higher whole grain consumption was associated with lower BMI and a reduced risk of overweight and obesity. For every additional gram of whole grain consumption, men’s risk dropped 10% and women’s risk dropped 4%.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2009; 63, 31–38

Whole grain consumption lowers heart failure risk, while eggs and high-fat dairy raise risks. That’s the finding of researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of North Carolina, who followed more than 14,000 people for over 13 years. “It would be prudent to recommend that those at high risk of HF increase their intake of whole grains and reduce intake of high-fat dairy and eggs,” said lead researcher Jennifer Nettleton, PhD.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, November 2008; vol 108(11)