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Whole Grain Fiber Linked with Lower Inflammation

Not all fiber is created equal; the fiber from whole grains may offer specific health benefits that can’t be replicated with fruits or vegetables alone. In this study, researchers analyzed the eating habits of 4,125 older adults (age 65+) with a special focus on their fiber intake, and also monitored the participants for signs of inflammation and heart disease. The study found that “higher intakes of cereal fiber, but not vegetable or fruit fiber, were associated with lower levels of inflammation in older adults.” Further, the results suggested that whole grain fiber may play other roles in its relationship with lower cardiovascular disease risk in addition to its link with lower inflammation.
JAMA Network Open. 2022 Mar 1;5(3):e225012. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.5012. (Shivakoti R et al.)

Switching to Whole Grains Can Improve Cholesterol, Blood Sugar Control, and Inflammation

Randomized controlled trials are the “gold standard” of nutrition research as they can be used to establish cause and effect. In this article, researchers analyzed more than 20 randomized controlled trials to see how replacing refined grains with whole grains can impact health. They found that for adults both with and without risk factors of heart disease, substituting whole grains for refined can improve total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c (a measure of blood sugar control), and C-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation). 
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2020 Nov;120(11):1859-1883.e31. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2020.06.021. (Marshall S et al.)

Whole Wheat Promotes Resilience in Liver, Protects Against Higher Inflammation

Health not only implies being free of disease; health also takes into account how well we adapt to the stresses of everyday life, and the inevitable wear-and-tear on our bodies – in other words, resilience. To see how whole wheat might impact inflammation and resilience, 50 overweight and obese adults were randomly assigned to either 98 grams of whole wheat per day (from bread and cereal) or 98 grams of refined wheat per day for 12 weeks. Scientists then measured markers of inflammation and liver health and used modeling (the “health space” approach) to determine how resilient their bodies were to external stressors based on these findings. In this experiment, whole wheat was shown to protect against higher inflammation, and was also shown to promote resilience in the liver. 
Journal of Nutrition. 2019 Aug 27. pii: nxz177. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz177. (Hoevenaars FPM et al.)

Whole Grains Linked with Weight Loss, Less Inflammation

Why worry about calorie counting when whole grains can keep you satiated and help you lose weight? Researchers randomly assigned 50 Danish adults to a whole grain or refined grain diet for 8 weeks each, with a 6-week washout period in between. All of the participants were overweight, obese or had large waist sizes, and also had slightly high levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, or blood pressure before the study. The participants lost significantly more weight on the whole grain diet (- 0.4 pounds) compared to the refined grain diet (+ 2 pounds). This is likely because people naturally ate fewer calories on the whole grain diet, as whole grains are more satiating. Additionally, the whole grain diet (especially rye foods) significantly lowered inflammation (measured by IL-6 and CRP). However, the researchers noted no significant changes in insulin sensitivity (an indicator of how well your body is able to manage blood sugar), or the gut microbiome over the 8-week study.
Gut. 2017 Nov 1. pii: gutjnl-2017-314786. [Epub ahead of print.] (Roager HM et al.)  

Whole Grains Linked with Less Inflammation and Slower Cognitive Decline in Aging

A “grain brain” seems to be a healthy defense against inflammation and accelerated cognitive decline. In a British study, researchers analyzed the diets, inflammation markers, and cognitive health of over 5,000 middle aged adults over six years. The scientists found that those eating diets high in red and processed meat, peas, legumes (mostly baked beans) and fried food, and lower in whole grains, were more likely to have higher levels of inflammation and accelerated cognitive decline. In fact, whole grains had the strongest link to anti-inflammatory markers among all 37 food groups studied.
Clinical Nutrition. 2016 Jan 29. Pii: S0261-5614(16)00035-2. (Ozawa M et al.)

Gluten Free Diet Has No Effect on Non-celiac Athletes

A common belief among athletes is that going gluten-free might help performance. To investigate this popular belief, Australian scientists randomly assigned 13 competitive cyclists without celiac disease to a 7 day gluten containing diet or a 7 day gluten free diet. The cyclists then went through a 10 day washout period, before trying the other diet, serving as their own controls. There was no significant difference in time trial performance of the athletes on either diet, nor were there significant differences in markers of inflammation or intestinal injury.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2015 Dec;47(12):2563-70.

Whole Wheat Can Improve Inflammation and Influence Gut Bacteria

Researchers are increasingly turning to gut bacteria to learn more about complex conditions such as inflammation. To study this relationship, scientists randomized 63 overweight and obese adults to a diet containing either whole grains (in the form of shredded wheat) or refined grains (in the form of white bread and crackers) for 4-8 weeks. In addition to decreased inflammation in the whole grain group (a good thing!), the scientists found that one of the most abundant beneficial plant compounds (ferulic acid) from whole wheat is released and absorbed in the gut, where it is likely metabolized. In line with other studies on how whole grains improve gut health and diversity, the researchers also found that whole-wheat consumption positively influenced bacterial communities in the study participants.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015 Feb;101(2):251-61. (Vitaglione P et al.)

LOW INTAKE OF WHOLE GRAINS RELATED TO INCREASED INFLAMMATION

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.)

OATS REDUCE INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES

Inflammation has been linked to many diseases, so understanding how to reduce inflammation is important. In a small study in Scotland, 22 people with type 2 diabetes participated in a randomized cross-over study, which consisted of two 8-week interventions with either an oat-enriched diet (their normal diet with oats replacing some of the carbohydrates; average intake of oats was 131g/day, or the equivalent of more than 1 ½ cups uncooked rolled oats) or a diet based on the standard dietary advice from Diabetes UK (average intake of oats was only 5g/day). Researchers then assessed the microparticle concentrations (a marker of inflammation) of patients after each diet and found that the oat-enriched diet significantly improved these risk factors for inflammation.  
Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2014 June;58(6):1322-32. (Zhang X et al.) 

Brown Rice Lowers Inflammation, Health Markers

Scientists at Isfahan University in Iran carried out a randomized crossover study of 40 overweight or obese women, which consisted of two 6-week interventions separated by a 2-week washout period. During the interventions, women were asked to consumer either 150g or brown rice or the same amount of white rice daily, as part of a prescribed weight-loss diet including 50-60% carbohydrates, 15-20% protein and ≤30% fat. Eating brown rice had beneficial impact on both inflammation and cardiovascular risk markers, including decreases in weight, waist and hip circumference, BMI, diastolic blood pressure and hs-CRP.
International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2014 Apr;5(4):478-88. (Kazemzadeh et al.)

RCT Shows Whole Grains Reduce Inflammation Markers

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.]

Whole Grains Reduce Inflammation through Gut Changes

Intake of whole grains has long been linked to decreases in the systemic inflammation that may be at the root of many chronic diseases. Researchers at the University of Nebraska recently completed a human trial that explored the mechanisms behind whole grains’ anti-inflammatory effects. They found that eating whole grains (barley, brown rice, or especially a mix of the two) even for a short period altered the gut microbiota in ways that coincided with improvements in systemic inflammation.
Gut Microbes, July 1, 2013; 4(4):340-6. (Walter et al.)

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