SEARCH HEALTH STUDIES

Search Results

Whole Grain Intake May Decrease Heart Disease Risk

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and other industrialized countries, so lifestyle changes, including diet, are important. To analyze the link between whole grain intake and coronary heart disease, Chinese researchers combined the results of eighteen different studies following over 400,000 people. The pooled results of their analysis suggest that a higher intake of whole grains is associated with a reduced risk for coronary heart disease. These results were significant in the fifteen cohort studies included (which followed subjects over a period of time to track how diet influenced their health), but not in the three case-control studies (which started with coronary heart disease cases and matched controls, then attempted to trace back the lifestyle differences between these groups). This study adds to the growing body of evidence that whole grains are a heart-healthy choice.
American Journal of Cardiology. 2015 Mar 1;115(5):625-629. (Tang G et al.) 

Whole Grain Intake Can Lower Death Risk

Eating more whole grains may help you live longer! Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed data from over 110,000 adults. The scientists found that every one-ounce serving of whole grains was associated with a 5% lower total risk of death, or a 9% lower risk of death from heart disease. Whole grain intake was not significantly associated with cancer mortality. The researchers of this study conclude “these results are in line with recommendations that promote increased whole grain consumption to facilitate disease prevention.”
JAMA Internal Medicine. 2015 Jan 5.  [Epub ahead of print] (Wu H, et al.)

MANY ANTIOXIDANTS IN WHOLE GRAINS

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.)

Replacing SFAs with Whole Grain Lowers Heart Risk

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.)

Whole Grains and Seeds Good For Heart Health

In this review, researchers from Spain and the US analyzed existing research on seeds (whole grains, tree nuts, peanuts, pulses, cocoa, and coffee) to determine their relationship to heart health. Based on the research, including over 25 studies on whole grains alone, the scientists found a decreased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and improved cholesterol, when eating seed foods like whole grains. They deemed seeds as “natural health capsules, where the synergistic interaction of their many bioactive constituents may all favorably influence human physiology.” The researchers also noted that “it is often difficult to tease out the effects of the individual components of a whole food,” indicating that seeds are best eaten in their whole form (like whole grains), rather than being refined into individual constituents.
Circulation. 2013 July 30;128(5):553-65. (Ros E et al.)

Low Carbohydrate Diets May Increase Heart Disease Risk

Whole grains are an important source of carbohydrates, but some fad diets discourage this essential food group. To study how this may affect heart disease risk, researchers analyzed the diets and medical records of over 40,000 Swedish women for 15 years. They found that women eating a low carbohydrate diet were at a higher risk of heart disease, and that every 20g decrease in carbohydrates per day and 5g increase in protein per day corresponds to a 5% higher risk of heart disease. This suggests that grain-based diets rich in carbohydrates, the centuries-old traditional food pattern of our ancestors, are associated with a lower risk of heart disease than low carbohydrate diets.
British Medical Journal. 2012 Jun 26;344:e4026. (Lagiou P et al.)

Weight Loss, Decreased Fat with Whole Grain

Switching to whole grains may reduce body fat and aid heart health, according to scientists at the University of Copenhagen. In a twelve-week, randomized clinical trial, they asked 79 overweight or obese postmenopausal women to eat a calorie-restricted diet incorporating either 480 calories of refined grain foods or the same amount of whole grain foods. Those eating the diet with whole grains lost more weight (3.6kg vs 2.7kg) and saw a more significant decrease in body fat (3% reduction vs 2.1%) compared to those eating refined grains. Cholesterol levels increased 5% in the refined group, highlighting the heart benefits of choosing whole grains instead of refined.
Journal of Nutrition, Feb 22, 2012. [Epub ahead of print] (Kristensen et al.)

Health Through Heritage with Whole Grains in India

Scientists at Columbia University and Stanford collaborated to reflect on the association between rapidly rising rates of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in India, and the adoption of refined carbohydrates – especially white rice and white flour – in that country. They advocated re-introduction of whole grains commonly consumed before 1950, including amaranth, barley, brown rice, millet, and sorghum, as a way to stem chronic disease in culturally-sensitive ways.
Nutrition Reviews, August 2011; 69(8):479-488

Putting the Whole Grain Puzzle Together: Health Benefits with Whole Grains

The American Society for Nutrition brought together researchers to review the evidence regarding the health benefits associated with whole grains. Current scientific evidence indicates that whole grains play an important role in lowering the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also contribute to body weight management and gastrointestinal health.
Journal of Nutrition, May 2011;141(5):1011S-22S. Epub March 30, 2011

RCT Shows Whole Grains Reduce Blood Pressure

In a randomized control trial of 233 healthy, middle-aged volunteers, subjects spent 4 weeks consuming a run-in diet of refined grains, and then were randomly allocated to the control diet (refined), a whole wheat diet, or a whole wheat and whole oats diet for 12 weeks. Each group consumed 3 daily portions of the specific grains. Systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were significantly reduced by 6 and 3 mm HG, respectively, in the whole grains groups compared to the control refined group. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen concluded that this blood pressure decrease would decrease the incidence of coronary artery disease and stroke by 15-25% respectively.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2010; 92(4):733-40. Epub August 4, 2010

Whole Grains Vary in Positive Heart Disease Benefits

Penny Kris-Etherton and Kristin Harris at Penn State’s Department of Nutrition Sciences, reviewed research on whole grains and coronary heart disease risk in an effort to explain mixed results from one study to another. They concluded that, “due to the varying nutrition compositions of different whole grains, each could potentially affect CHD risk via different mechanisms.” Whole Grains high in soluble fiber tend to decrease LDL cholesterol and improve insulin response, for example, while those high in insoluble fiber may have a prebiotic effect, while lowering glucose and blood pressure. While intervention studies have not proven the observered epidemiological link between whole grains and weight loss, visceral fat loss has been shown. Differences in processing of whole grains may also affect their heart-healthy potential.
Current Atherosclerosis Reports, September 7, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]

Whole Grains Lower Heart Failure Risk

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)

Pages