Periodontitis, or gum disease, can put people at risk for heart and lung diseases down the road. Researchers analyzed the whole grain and refined grain intake of 7,753 adults in the US and measured which of those adults had gum disease. Those eating the most whole grains and those who had the greatest ratio of whole grains to refined grains had a lower risk of gum disease. Specifically, every one-ounce serving of whole grains was linked with an 11 percent lower risk of gum disease.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Nov 4:1-11. doi: 10.1080/09637486.2024.2420265. Online ahead of print. (Guo S et al.)

Nutrition isn’t just about disease management – it may also help with disease prevention. In a study of 12,575 adults in China, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were significantly less likely to develop diabetes over the nine-year study period. Specifically, each one-point increase on the nine-point Mediterranean diet score was linked with a 17 percent lower risk of developing diabetes. When looking at individual food groups, fruit, fish, and nuts were also significantly associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes.
Nutr J. 2024 Oct 23;23(1):131. doi: 10.1186/s12937-024-01036-x. (Ying Z et al.)

Just because someone says they don’t like whole grains, doesn’t mean we should write off their interest immediately. In fact, changing the food environment by simply exposing these people to whole grains is enough to change their attitudes, a new study shows. In this study, researchers provided 45 healthy adults with either refined grain or whole grain products to take home for six weeks. Researchers measured how much of the provided grain foods were eaten, and they measured if people associated different types of grains with either an unpleasant or pleasant taste before and after the study using an implicit association computer test with measured response times. The whole grain group consumed just as much of their provided grains as the refined grains group, and individuals who considered whole grains as unpleasant tasting before the study were significantly more likely to change their tune and consider whole grains to be pleasant tasting after being provided with the whole grain foods.
Front Nutr. 2024 Sep 30:11:1408256. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1408256. eCollection 2024. (De Leon A et al.)

Poor diet can be a risk factor for certain types of liver diseases, so researchers conducted a meta-analysis of studies to see how whole grain intake might relate to liver disease risk. Those eating the most whole grains had a 10% lower risk of developing any chronic liver disease than those eating the least. The results were especially pronounced for a certain subgroup of serious liver diseases. Eating whole grains was linked with a 35% lower risk of developing cirrhosis (a potentially fatal form of liver damage) and a 63% lower risk of chronic liver disease mortality.
Food Funct. 2024 Sep 30;15(19):9707-9717. doi: 10.1039/d4fo03077j. (Zhang Y et al.)

Because respiratory diseases like COVID-19 can be characterized by inflammation, researchers wonder if a naturally anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet might be related to COVID-19 risk. In a systematic review of 6 studies covering 55,489 people total, researchers found that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet is linked with a lower risk of COVID-19. However, more research is needed on the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and COVID-19 symptoms and severity.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 21;19(8):e0301564. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301564. eCollection 2024. (Halim C et al.)

Gestational diabetes, the type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, can lead to health complications for both the mother and her baby. In a review of 10 studies, researchers found that consuming a Mediterranean diet before or in early pregnancy is linked with a 36% lower risk of developing gestational diabetes.
Nutr Diabetes. 2024 Jul 23;14(1):55. doi: 10.1038/s41387-024-00313-2. (Nasab SJ et al.)

Self-reported nutrition questionnaires are the most commonly used tool in nutrition research, but blood biomarkers indicating consumption of certain foods are emerging as an intriguing way to measure people’s diets. In this study, 418 older adults in Bordeaux and 422 older adults in Dijon, none of whom had dementia, were followed for 12 years. Their diet was monitored using blood biomarkers indicating intake of common Mediterranean diet foods (for example, using oleic acid levels as a marker of olive oil intake). In the Dijon group, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were 10 percent less likely to experience cognitive decline than those not following a Mediterranean diet. In the Dijon group, the results were comparable but not quite statistically significant.
Mol Nutr Food Res. 2024 Jul;68(13):e2300271. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202300271. Epub 2023 Oct 24. (Tor-Roca A et al.)

Early-onset (diagnosed before age 50) colorectal cancer risk is thought to be influenced by diet and lifestyle factors, so researchers wanted to find out which foods might be involved with colorectal cancer risk. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, scientists found that a diet low in whole grains is one of the leading dietary risk factors for early onset colorectal cancer, ahead of diets high in red and processed meat and even diets low in fiber.
Frontiers in Nutrition. 2024 May 31:11:1384352. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1384352. eCollection 2024. (Su J et al.)

Healthy carbohydrates like whole grains are part of the solution, not the problem, when it comes to diabetes. In this study, researchers analyzed 29 randomized controlled trials (the gold standard of nutrition research) to see how whole grains and ancient grains might impact health outcomes in people with diabetes. They found that brown rice significantly improved HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar control over time) and BMI (a measure of weight based on height), that oats significantly improved cholesterol, and that millet significantly improved body weight. However, given the different grains and research methods used, it was difficult for the researchers to draw broad conclusions across the whole group of grains, indicating that more research is needed to understand these effects. 
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 May;34(5):1110-1128. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.03.005. Epub 2024 Mar 7. (Magi CE et al.)

Could a spoonful of olive oil keep dementia-related deaths at bay? In a study of 92,383 adults (average age 56), those eating at least half a tablespoon of olive oil per day had a 28 percent lower risk of dementia-related death compared with those who never or rarely consumed olive oil over the 28-year study period. These results remained consistent even after adjusting for genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease.
JAMA Netw Open. 2024 May 1;7(5):e2410021. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.10021. (Tessier AJ et al.)

The Mediterranean diet is known for its link with longevity, so researchers wanted to quantify the lower risk of mortality in American women and look for potential mechanisms. In a study of 25,315 women in the US followed for 25 years, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet had a 23 percent reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Most of this lower risk seems to come from improved inflammation, reduced insulin resistance, improved BMI, and a few other health markers.
JAMA Netw Open. 2024 May 1;7(5):e2414322. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.14322. (Ahmad S et al.)

Replacing traditional foods with highly processed, Western-style foods has been linked with decreased diet quality around the world in a phenomenon known as the nutrition transition. In this study, researchers analyzed the eating habits and microbiome of healthy urban and rural Xhosa people in South Africa. The urban population ate more calories, fat, and animal protein and had gut microbiomes characterized by qualities linked with higher colorectal cancer risk (such as higher levels of deoxycholic acid). The authors conclude that “rural-urban dietary transition in South Africa is linked to major changes in the gut microbiome and metabolome,” and that more research is needed to “identify whether restoration of specific components of the traditional diet will arrest the accelerating rise in [non-communicable diseases] in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Nat Commun. 2024 Apr 20;15(1):3379. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46265-0.