“Leaky gut” is now widely accepted as a contributor to many diseases. Scientists at Denmark’s National Food Institute and the Technical University of Denmark conducted a 12-week energy-restricted intervention with 70 postmenopausal women to observe the effect of a whole wheat diet (n=37) vs a refined wheat diet (n=33). Women who ate the whole wheat diet had significant increases in beneficial bifidobacteria, and an unexpected increase in “trans-epithelial resistance,” a measure of the permeability of the intestinal wall that shows a decrease in “leaky gut.”
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Dec; 67(12):1316-21. (Christensen et al.)

Different Mediterranean soffritos (sautéed vegetables and spices, usually a combination of tomatoes, garlic, and onions cooked in olive oil) were analyzed for their content of healthy antioxidants. Researchers identified 40 different types of polyphenols, including some never previously reported in Mediterranean soffrito. Polyphenols are associated with low incidence of cardiovascular disease. The soffritos also contained other beneficial compounds such as carotenoids and vitamin C. The amount of the antioxidants differed among soffritos according to the type of vegetables or olive oil used to make them. Researchers also discovered that the health benefits obtained from soffrito are better than the benefits obtained from eating each ingredient separately.

Food Chemistry. 2013 Dec 15; 141(4): 3365-3372 (Vallverdú-Querald, et al.) [EPub ahead of print]

Scientists at the Danish Cancer Society Research Center collaborated on a study to investigate the link between whole grain intake and colorectal cancer. Rather than rely on whole grain intake estimation, they measured levels of alkylresorcinols, which are biomarkers of whole grain rye and wheat intake, in 1372 colorectal cancer patients and an equal number of controls. They found that those with the highest whole grain intake had the lowest risk of distal colon cancer, but did not find a correlation with colon cancer overall, with proximal colon cancer or with rectal cancer.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2013 Dec 7 [Epub ahead of print] (Kyrø et al.) 

Researchers working with Dr. Chris Seal at Newcastle University in the UK carried out an intervention to explore links between diet and periodontal disease. Fifty-one participants (30-65 years old) were divided into two groups; half received customized dietary advice to increase fruits, vegetables and whole grains. At 3 and 6 months post dietary change, the intervention had significantly higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, and at 6 months, higher levels of whole grain consumption; this difference showed up as a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity. However, no differences were observed in periodontal measures.
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2013 Dec 6 [Epub ahead of print] (Zare et al.)

The foods we eat and the times at which we eat them can both affect blood sugar management, according to a very small randomized cross-over study carried out in Sweden. Researchers at Linköping University identified 19 people with type 2 diabetes, then observed their post-consumption response to three different breakfast-lunch combinations: low-fat (~50% of energy from carbohydrates), low-carbohydrate (~20% of energy from carbohydrates), and Mediterranean Diet (~33% of energy from carbohydrates). The low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets consisted of breakfast and lunch, whereas the Mediterranean Diet offered only black coffee at breakfast and a large lunch with red wine that equaled the number of calories in both the breakfast and lunch of each of the other two diets – an approach followed in many Mediterranean countries. After the Mediterranean lunch, subjects had greater insulin release, which kept glucose levels lower despite the larger meal. Researchers noted that their results are consistent with other research that shows that obese subjects show greater insulin-sensitivity when carbohydrates are concentrated at a single meal, and that most people are more insulin-resistant earlier in the day than at mid-day or in the evening.

PLOS ONE. 2013 Nov 27; 8(11): e79324 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0079324 (Fernemark, et al).

Since inflammation is one of the factors leading to cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis, Italian researchers explored whether extra-virgin olive oil could help protect joints from the ravages of inflammation. They found that consumption of extra-virgin olive oil, coupled with mild exercise on a treadmill, lowered inflammation markers and can help prevent osteoarthritis and preserve cartilage.
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2013 Dec;24(12):2064-75. Musumeci et al.

Scottish researchers, citing increasing evidence that the protective benefit of whole grains is due to positive changes in gut microbiota due to phytophenols from plant fiber, compared the phytophenols in recommended serving sizes of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. They found that the whole grain cereals delivered substantially higher amounts of phytophenols available for metabolism in the colon, which “may, in part, explain the evidence for the protective effects of whole-grain cereals.”
Food Chemistry. 2013 Dec 1; 141(3):2880-6. (Neacsu et al.)

While many studies have linked whole grain consumption with lower risk of some colon cancers, little research has been done on whether whole grain consumption aids survival once cancer strikes. Scandinavian researchers studied data from the HELGA cohort, and found no evidence of an association between higher whole grain intake and survival rates in Scandinavian patients.
Nutrition and Cancer. 2013 Nov 25 [Epub ahead of print] (Skeie et al.)

Researchers examined the eating patterns of more than 76,000 women and more than 42,000 men over 24 to 30 years to assess the health effects of eating nuts. They discovered that eating nuts is associated with a reduced risk of mortality overall and specifically from cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease. As nut consumption increased (from none at all, to weekly, to daily), the incidences of mortality also decreased. Researchers noted that all types of nuts appear to have the same health benefit and did not see a difference between individual types, including peanuts and tree nuts.

The New England Journal of Medicine. 2013 November 21; 369:2001-2011 (Bao, et al.)

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.)

Researchers analyzed the food intake and cognitive function in a group of 3,831 older adults in Utah over 11 years. Those most closely following a DASH diet (a healthy diet used to treat hypertension that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and limited sweets and salt) or Mediterranean diet at the start of the study were found to have consistently better cognitive function than those not following those diets. In particular, whole grains, nuts, and legumes were all linked with better cognitive function, and the researchers concluded that these “may be core neuroprotective foods common to various healthy plant-centered diets around the globe.”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Nov;98(5):1263-71. (Wengreen H et al.)

Researchers at Imperial College London  conducted a meta-analysis of 16 studies to explore the association between whole grain intake and type 2 diabetes. They concluded that “a high whole grain intake, but not refined grains, is associated with reduced type 2 diabetes risk.” They suggest the consumption of at least two servings daily of whole grains to reduce T2D risk. 
European Journal of Epidemiology. 2013 Nov; 28(11):845-58. (Aune et al.)