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Prebiotic Potential of Whole Maize Cereals

Researchers at the University of Reading, England carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled human feeding study to explore the potential benefits of eating a whole maize (corn) cereal daily. For 21 days, they offered 32 healthy adults either 48 grams a day of a whole grain corn ceeal or an equal amount of a non-whole-grain cereal placebo, in a cross-over fashion, with a 3-week washout period in between. Fecal bifidobacteria levels increased significantly after 21 days of whole grain cereal, as compared to the refined grain cereal, leading researchers to conclude that whole grain corn can cause a “bifidogenic modulation of the gut microbiota” – an increase in beneficial gut bacteria.
British Journal of Nutrition. Nov 2010; 104(9):1353-6 (Epub May 21, 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]

Gluten Free Diet Decreases Good Gut Bacteria

Although most whole grains are naturally gluten free, many gluten free diets are devoid of these prebiotic, nutrient powerhouses. In an effort to see how eliminating gluten effects the gut microbiome, Spanish researchers assigned ten healthy adults (average age 30) to a gluten free diet for one month, and measured the changes in their gut microbiome. In just one month of eliminating gluten, the good bacteria in their gut significantly decreased, and some harmful bacteria (like E. Coli) increased, although not significantly. This research suggests that those on a medically prescribed gluten free diet should take care to consume foods that are associated with good gut bacteria, such as gluten-free whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
British Journal of Nutrition. 2009 Oct;102(8):1154-60. (De Palma et al.)

Whole Grain offers pre-biotic benefits

A double-blind, randomized, cross-over study at the University of Reading, UK, divided 31 healthy adults into two groups. Half the volunteers ate 48g of whole grain cereal daily; the other half ate the same amount of wheat bran cereal daily for three weeks. After a two-week washout on normal diets, the groups were reversed for a second period of three weeks. The study concluded that whole grain cereal promoted increases in bifidobacteria and lactobacillus, while the bran cereal did not.
British Journal of Nutrition, January 2008; vol 99(1):110-20. Epublished August 29, 2007.

Buckwheat Provides Prebiotic-like Benefits; Considered Healthy Food

In 2003, a study out of Madrid, Spain examined the high nutrient levels in buckwheat to determine whether it could behave as a prebiotic and be considered a healthy food. (Prebiotics are indigestible food ingredients that stimulate the helpful bacteria in our digestive systems.) Not only did the buckwheat-fed group emerge with a lower bodyweight when compared to the control, some of the best types of helpful bacteria were found, along with a decrease in some types of pathogenic bacteria.
Nutrition Research, June 2003; 23(6):803-14