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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.)

Health Benefits Knowledge Increases Whole Grain Interest

A group of scientists in Northern Ireland conducted a series of focus groups to explore the attitudes to and awareness of whole grains, perceived barriers and facilitators of whole grains consumption and feelings about how best to promote consumption. The focus groups were composed of those responsible for purchasing food in their household. They found that participants were generally aware of the term “whole grain” yet many barriers to consumption remained despite the increase in availability and promotion in the UK. Despite this it is noteworthy that after reading about health benefits, mothers of young children discussed introducing whole grains to their children in order to establish lifelong habits. 
Public Health Nutrition. 2012; 16(4): 743-751. [Epub July 4, 2012] (McMackin 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.

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.)

Whole Grain Decreases Body Fat Compared to Refined Grain

Danish researchers at the University of Copenhagen followed 79 overweight or obese women for 12 weeks as they ate calorie-restricted comparable diets with either refined wheat or whole wheat. Throughout the study, body weight and composition, blood pressure and several risk markers were measured. Though both groups lost weight, the whole wheat eaters showed a greater reduction in body fat mass, while total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol increased with the refined wheat group, “which may suggest a cardioprotective role for whole grain.”

The Journal of Nutrition, April 2012; 142(4):710-6. (Kristensen 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.)

Whole Grain Bread Yes, Red Meat No

At the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, researchers performed a cross-sectional study on 2,198 men and women in the larger EPIC study, searching for biological predictors of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They found that higher consumption of whole grain bread was significantly associated with lower levels of several biomarkers of obesity, inflammation and glucose metabolism, while higher consumption of red meat was associated with higher levels of GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase, which can be indicative of congestive heart failure) and hs-CRP (a measure of inflammation also associated with heart disease).

European Journal of Nutrition, 2012 March 18. [Epub ahead of print] (Montonen et al)

White Rice Significantly Increases Diabetes Risk

A team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a meta-analysis of four studies on rice intake and type 2 diabetes, with a total of 352,384 participants. Asian (Chinese and Japanese) people, who ate white rice three to four times per day as compared to Western populations who ate white rice once or twice a week, had a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

British Medical Journal. 2012 March 15; 344:e1454. (Hu 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.)

Subsequent Meal Effect and Glucose Control

Eating whole grains or legumes at one meal not only reduces surges in glucose after that meal, but also after the next meal eaten. Eating whole grains or legumes at breakfast helps control blood sugar after lunch, for example, and eating either or both at dinner can reduce the blood sugar rise of the next morning’s breakfast. Since this effect may explain why eating whole grains and legumes can reduce diabetes risk, this paper describes the possible mechanisms of the subsequent meal effect.
Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2012; 2012:829238. [Epub Oct. 30 2011] (Higgins)

Produce, Whole Grains, Tea, Chocolate Reduce Stroke Risk

A study from Sweden shows that older women eating diets high in antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tea and chocolate reduce their risk of stroke, even if they have a history of heart disease. Researchers followed 31,000 women aged 49 to 83 without heart disease and almost 5,700 women with heart problems for ten years or more, noting their diets and any incidence of stroke. They found that healthy women with the highest “total antioxidant capacity” (TAC) reduced their risk of all strokes 17%, while women with existing heart disease reduced their risk of hemorrhagic stroke 57% by having the highest TAC. Study authors attributed fifty percent of TAC benefits to eating fruits and vegetables, eighteen percent to eating more whole grains, sixteen percent to tea, and five percent to chocolate.
Stroke, December 1, 2011. [Epub ahead of print] (Rautiainen et al.)

Whole Grains Reduce Colon Cancer Risk 20%

Researchers at Imperial College London conducted a meta-analysis of 25 studies involving almost two million people (and 14,500 cases of colorectal cancer) to assess the links between colorectal cancer and both whole grains and total dietary fiber. They concluded that there is a credible “dose-response” relationship between whole grain consumption and reduced cancer risk; they estimate that eating three or more servings of whole grains per day lowers colorectal cancer risk nearly 20%. Dietary fiber also reduces this risk, but cereal/grain fiber shows stronger benefits than other types of fiber.
British Medical Journal, 10 November 2011; 343:d6617 (Aune et al.)

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