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Healthy Whole Grain Diets Filled with Friendly Bacteria

We know that healthy microbes are present in yogurt and other fermented foods, but research is showing that these friendly bacteria are actually present all throughout healthy diets. Researchers at the University of California, Davis measured the microbes in meals from three common diets: the standard American diet (consisting of fast food and convenience foods, and no whole grains), a vegan diet (which included oatmeal and peanut butter, a vegetable and tofu soup with soba noodles, and a Portobello burger on a whole wheat bun), and a healthy diet based on the USDA dietary guidelines (which included whole grain cereal with fruit and yogurt, a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, and a quinoa, chicken, and vegetable dinner). Researchers found that the microbe level in both whole grain diets outnumbered that of the standard American diet lacking in whole grains. The USDA diet had 1.3 billion microbes per day, the vegan diet had 6 million microbes per day, and the standard American diet had only 1.4 million microbes per day. While it’s unclear whether the benefit can be traced directly to whole grains or to a combination of interacting factors, this study points to the overall benefits of a healthy diet including whole grains.
PeerJ. 2014 Dec 9. (Lang J M et al.)

Antioxidants in Whole Wheat Unaffected During Baking

Whole grains are starting to gain recognition as being rich sources of antioxidants, but many wonder if these antioxidants are affected during processing, such as bread baking. To test this theory, scientists at the University of Maryland measured phenolic acid (antioxidant) content in flour, dough, and bread fractions from three whole and refined wheat varieties. As expected, “all phenolic acids measured were more abundant in whole wheat than refined samples.” The researchers also found no significant change in antioxidant levels after the breads were baked. “Thus, the potential phytochemical health benefits of total phenolic acids appear to be preserved during bread baking.”
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2014 Oct 20 [Epub ahead of print] (Lu Y et al.)

Whole Grains Promote Healthy Gut Microbes

Low diversity of gut microbes is associated with obesity and disease, so it’s important for any healthy diet to increase the variety of these friendly bacteria. In a study in Europe, 20 healthy adults were placed on a 3-week diet rich in whole grains (about 40g fiber, mostly from bread and muesli, and less than 2oz red meat) and a 3-week diet rich in red meat (at least 7oz red meat, and minimal fiber), with a 3-week washout in between. After the red meat diet, diversity of gut microbes remained stable, but after the whole grain diet, the diversity significantly increased. Additionally, although the diets were designed to be isocaloric (meaning that both diets had the same amount of calories), the whole grain intervention produced statistically significant decreases in BMI, weight, and body fat mass, leading researchers to hypothesize that “WG products influence energy utilization.”
PLoS One. 2014 Oct 9;9(10):e109606. (Foerster J et al.)

WIC Package Improves Retail Choices

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.)

Rye Crispbread Satisfies Appetite Better

Wondering what to have for breakfast? Researchers in Sweden, where rye has been the go-to grain for centuries, set out to compare two breakfast bread choices: whole grain rye crisp bread and (refined) white wheat bread. Although subjects ate similar amounts of each food for breakfast, they reported higher fullness, lower hunger, and less desire to eat after consuming the rye crisp than after eating the white bread. When study participants were allowed to eat as much as they wanted at lunch later that day, those who ate rye crisp for breakfast ate about 8% fewer calories at lunch.
Nutrition Journal. 2014 Mar 25;13(1):26. (Forsberg et al.)

Avoiding Preterm Delivery

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.)

Whole Grain Bread Not Associated with Central Obesity

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.)

Kernel Rye Bread has Lowest Glycemic Impact

To explore differences within the universe of whole grain food options, scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark conducted a randomized cross-over study involving 15 subjects with metabolic syndrome. The subjects sample four kinds of bread: rye bread made with intact kernels, whole wheat bread, whole wheat bread with concentrated arabinoxylan, or whole wheat bread with beta-glucan. The rye kernel bread scored highest on a variety of measures, while the beta-glucan sample also scored well.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Nov 20 [Epub ahead of print] (Hartvigsen et al.)

Ethnic differences in Whole Grains Sources of B-vitamins

Data was collected from participants of the Multiethnic Cohort Study in Hawaii using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire in order to identify major sources of grains and their contribution of B vitamins in five ethnic groups. The main sources of whole grains for all ethnic-sex groups were whole wheat and rye bread, followed by popcorn and cooked cereals. The only exception being Native Hawaiian men and Japanese Americans for whom brown/wild rice was the second most important source of whole grains. For all ethnic-sex groups with the exception of African American Women the consumption of refined grains was greater than that of whole grains. An important contribution to the intakes of niacin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folic acid was made by grain consumption.  
Nutrition Journal. 2013; 12:65. (Sharma et al.)

Whole Grain and Fiber Cut Prediabetic Conditions

Scientists in Kuopio, Finland, reviewed four-day food records of 1261 older adults (age 58-78) to see which dietary factors might correlate with impaired glucose regulation. They found that those eating more saturated fat were more likely to show measures of impaired blood-sugar management, while those eating more whole grain bread and more dietary fiber were less likely to have glucose management problems.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2012; 66(7):819-24. [Epub March 14, 2012.] (Heikkilä et al.)

Sprouted and Sourdough Breads Reduce Glycemic Impact

Researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada examined the glycemic impact of different commercial breads on twelve overweight and obese men at risk for diabetes. They fed the men five kinds of bread on different occasions — sprouted grain bread, 11-grain bread, 12-grain bread, sourdough bread and white bread — then measured glucose response. Sourdough bread and sprouted grain bread outperformed the other three breads in different measures of glycemic and metabolic response.
Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2012; 2012:184710. Mofidi et al.

Sprouting Enhances Folate in Pita Bread

Folate, found in foods such as spinach, is an important vitamin necessary to prevent neural tube defects (birth defects of the brain, spine, and spinal cord). In a study in Egypt, researchers found that sprouting wheat increased folate levels 3- to 4-fold depending on temperature. The scientists concluded that making pita bread with just 50% sprouted wheat flour is enough to increase the daily folate intake by 75 micrograms, or almost 20% of the adult recommended intake.
Food and Nutrition Research. 2012 April 2;56 (Hefni et al.)

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