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Greater Satiety with Whole Grain Rye

Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences carried out two cross-over studies in which subjects were asked to rate their hunger, satiety, and desire to eat during an eight-hour period following consumption of various isocaloric grain foods at breakfast.  All forms of whole rye – rye bread with milled or whole kernels, and milled rye porridge – provided greater satiety than the control refined wheat bread, but the unmilled kernels held hunger at bay the longest.
Nutrition Journal, April 11, 2011; 10:31

Whole Grain Rye Bread Linked to Lower Mortality

Researchers in Scandinavia are increasingly studying associations between good health and the traditional Nordic diet — characterized by fish, cabbages, rye bread, oatmeal, apples and pears, and root vegetables. As might be expected, an overall healthy Nordic diet did reduce mortality. And when the different components were evaluated separately, whole grain rye bread was most strongly associated with reduced mortality in men.
The Journal of Nutrition, April 1, 2011; 141(4):639-44

Foxtail Millet May Help Control Blood Sugar and Cholesterol

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is a common food in parts of India. Scientists at Sri Venkateswara University in that country studied its health benefits in diabetic rats, and concluded that the millet produced a “significant fall (70%) in blood glucose” while having no such effect in normal rats. Diabetic rats fed millet also showed significantly lower levels of triglycerides, and total/LDL/VLDLcholesterol, while exhibiting an increase in HDL cholesterol.
Pathophysiology. April 2011; 18(2): 159-65  [Epub Sept 23, 2010]

Whole Grain Intake Associated with Less Abdominal Fat

Researchers at Tufts University, including Nicola McKeown, analyzed data from 2834 Framingham Heart Study participants aged 32-83 years old, to assess the relationship between whole grain consumption and body fat distribution. They found that people with the highest whole grain intake had less subcutaneous abdominal fat (fat under their skin) and less visceral abdominal fat (fat around their organs), while those with the highest refined grain intake had more of both types of abdominal fat, especially visceral fat. Visceral fat has been linked to higher risk for diabetes and heart disease.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. November 2010; 92(5):1165-71.

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)

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-GRAIN CONSUMPTION ASSOCIATED WITH DIET QUALITY & NUTRIENT INTAKE IN ADULTS

O’Neil and colleagues conducted secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the association between whole grain intake and overall diet quality and nutrient intake in adults 19-50 years and 51+ years.  For both groups, the study found that those eating the most whole grains had significantly higher amounts of fiber, energy and polyunsaturated fats in their diet. Intake of all micronutrients, except vitamin B-12 and sodium, was also higher among those who consumed the most whole grains. Additionally, added sugars, monounsaturated fats, saturated fats and cholesterol intake was lower in the diets of those who consumed the most whole grains.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Oct 2010;110(10):1461-8.

Buckwheat Enhanced Gluten-free Bread a Healthier Gluten-free Alternative

Researches from the Polish Academy of Sciences recently published a study suggesting substituting some or all of the corn starch in many traditional gluten-free bread recipes with buckwheat flour. In addition to providing higher levels of antioxidants, B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, the study indicated that swapping 40% of the corn starch for buckwheat flour also increased its “overall sensory quality” when compared to the gluten-free bread used in the control. Although recipes were tested with anywhere from 10-40% buckwheat flour, the conclusion clearly points to the 40% buckwheat flour results as having the most nutritional benefits for celiac sufferers.
International Journal of Food Science and Technology, October 2010; 45(10):1993–2000. Epub August 25, 2010.

Black Rice Bran Protects Against Inflammation

S.P. Choi and colleagues from Ajou University in Suwon, South Korea tested both black rice bran and brown rice bran for their effectiveness in protecting against skin inflammation. In mouse tests, they found that the black rice bran did suppress dermatitis, but the brown rice bran did not. The scientists suggest that black rice may be a “useful therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of diseases associated with chronic inflammation.”
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,  Sept 22, 2010; 58(18):10007-15.

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 CRP, Improve Reproductive Outcomes

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, Louisiana State, and SUNY Buffalo worked together to follow 259 healthy pre-menopausal women for two years, to see if whole grain consumption lowered levels of C-reactive protein. They found that women who ate even small amounts of whole grains – up to one serving a day – had, on average, 11.5% lower concentration of hs-CRP in their blood. Women eating a full serving (16g of a 100% whole grain food, in this study) or more of whole grain had, on average, 12.3% lower CRP levels. Since earlier research has found that higher CRP levels are associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, the researchers postulate that whole grain consumption has the potential to improve the health of young women of child-bearing age.
Journal of Nutrition. September 2010; 140(9):1669-1676. doi: 10.3945/jn.110.124164

Indigestible Carbs May Explain Diabetes Benefits of Whole Grains

Some carbohydrates found especially in whole grains resist digestion and instead are processed by the body through fermentation in the lower colon. This process creates short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that show an intriguing range of health benefits. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden carried out an intervention study with 5 healthy women and 10 healthy men, offering each of them 8 different cereal-based dinners in random order on separate evenings. In the mornings, all subjects ate identical breakfasts, after which their glucose response and their blood concentration of butyrate, a SCFA, were measured. Whole grain evening meals high in indigestible carbohydrates, such as barley kernels, resulted in higher butyrate concentrations and lower glucose response than refined-grain meals such as white wheat bread. The researchers hypothesize that this may explain why whole grain is protective against type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Journal of Nutrition, September 1, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]

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