We all know that whole grains are more nutritious than their refined counterparts. But increasingly, research is showing that sprouted whole grains can offer even greater benefits. In a recent study, Vietnamese researchers sprouted wheat for 48 hours, and found it was higher in dietary fiber, free amino acids and antioxidant activity than unsprouted wheat.
Journal of the Science of Food & Agriculture. 2011 September 14 [Epub ahead of print] (Hung et al)
Researchers at University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland systematically identified randomized controlled trials comparing Mediterranean to low-fat diets for overweight or obese subjects. Only those studies with a minimum follow-up of six month, and that included data on cardiovascular risk factors were included. The researchers concluded that, in the six studies examined, people assigned to the Med Diet group showed more weight loss, lower BMI, lower blood pressure, better blood sugar control, reduced cholesterol, and lower C-reactive protein than those following a low-fat diet in these interventions.
The American Journal of Medicine. September 2011; 124(9):841-851 e2
In a study conducted by the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut, twenty-five women with Metabolic Syndrome and elevated plasma LDL (“bad”) cholesterol followed a Mediterranean-style low-glycemic-load diet for 12 weeks. All women experienced favorable impacts on metabolic syndrome factors, with decreases in waist circumference, plasma triglycerides, and systolic blood pressure compared with baseline. Participants also saw reductions in LDL cholesterol, in plasma insulin and in expression of the HMG-CoA reductase gene – a key regulatory gene in cholesterol.
Nutrition Research 2011 Sep; 31(9): 659-64 (Jones et al.)
Recent research has shown that children’s acceptance of whole grains varies widely from food to food. Kids will happily consume some foods that are 100% whole grain, while turning down others in which only 10-15% of the grain is whole grain. Using this knowledge, it’s possible to design a roadmap for increasing kids’ consumption of whole grains, without risking “pushback” – an important consideration, since the only healthy nutrients are those that are actually consumed. In this study, Len Marquart, Elizabeth Arndt, and colleagues modeled the change in whole grain consumption that could be achieved by switching 15% to 50% of the refined grain to whole grain in breads, pizza crusts, pasta, breakfast cereals, muffins, waffles and other foods kids eat daily. They found that, without changing documented eating patterns in the children, they could raise consumption of whole grains from 6% of total grains to 28% of whole grains with this approach, while also reducing demographic disparities.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association. September 2011; 111(9):1322-8
Documenting the benefits of whole grains often depends on asking people to recall how often they eat whole grain foods, a process subject to less-than-precise memories and lack of understanding of just what constitutes a whole grain food. Now scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden have provided further evidence that blood levels of alkylresorcinols – a type of fat found in the bran of rye and wheat but in few other foods — can serve as more objective evidence of regular consumption of wheat and rye. The researchers asked 72 adults to keep detailed, weighed records of everything they ate for 3 days, on two separate occasions, then tested the levels of alkylresorcinols in their blood. They found a very reliable relationship between the foods eaten and the blood levels measured.
The Journal of Nutrition, September 1, 2011. [Epub ahead of print July 2011]
Researchers from the University of Minnesota (including WGC Scientific Advisor Len Marquart) observed students at 10 schools in Minnesota and 7 schools in Texas, to see whether whole grain pancakes and tortillas can readily be substituted for similar refined products. For the study, foods with varying percentages of whole grain content were used. Using both aggregate plate waste measurements and student taste ratings, the scientists noted no difference in whole grain vs. refined grain pancake consumption at both elementary and middle / high schools, while consumption of whole grain tortillas was lower than refined tortillas. In general, elementary students were pickier than middle and high school students, and the use of whole white wheat boosted acceptance over whole red wheat. The researchers concluded that products such as those in the study would increase consumption of whole grains among children and youth.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association. September 2011; 111(9):1380-4
We all want to live to a ripe old age, without pain and disability. While previous studies have shown that greater adherence to a Mediterranean Diet is linked to longer life and reduced risk for cognitive problems, scientists in France set out to study whether the Med Diet could also contribute to seniors’ ability to fend off physical disability and live independently longer. To do so, they followed 1410 elderly adults for more than five years. While they did not find a link for men, the researchers found that women eating a diet closest to the traditional Med pattern enjoyed a 50% lower risk of being unable to take care of their own daily needs.
European Journal of Epidemiology, August 28, 2011 [Epub ahead of print]
Scientists in Boston analyzed data from 13,368 male doctors in the Physicians’ Health Study I to see how consumption of breakfast cereals might be associated with hypertension. After adjusting for smoking, BMI, alcohol consumption, produce consumption, activity, and diabetes history, they found that the risk of hypertension was lowest among those who ate the most breakfast cereal. The association was strongest for whole grain cereals.
Clinical Nutrition. August 23, 2011 [Epub ahead of print]
Spanish scientists analyzed data from 11,015 university graduates to study associations between Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. They found a significant direct association between following the Med Diet and improved vitality and general health, both among those who initially ate the Med way, and those whose adherence to the Med Diet improved over the four year follow-up of the study.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 17, 2011 [Epub ahead of print]
The whole grains traditionally used in India have been replaced by more refined grains including white rice and flour. This change may contribute to chronic disease such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health recommend strategies to reverse this trend and suggest that whole grains such as quinoa can be easily used in traditional Indian recipes.
Nutrition Reviews. 2011 Aug; 69(8):479-88. (Dixit et al.)
459 Japanese pre-schoolers were studied by researchers from Gifu University in Japan. They found that the boys with the highest seaweed intake had significantly lower diastolic blood pressure readings, while the girls with the highest seaweed intake had significantly lower systolic blood pressure.
Nutrition Journal. August 10, 2011; 10:83 (Wada et al.)
A study conducted by the University of Botswana explored associations among food consumption patterns, overweight/obesity, and socioeconomic status and urbanization. Scientists surveyed a nationwide cross-sectional sample of 746 adolescent schoolchildren in secondary schools of cities, towns and villages in Botswana. The study found that overweight and obesity are associated with greater socio-economic status (SES), city residence and a snack-food diet pattern. Students belonging to a higher SES reported significantly more daily servings of snack foods and fewer servings of traditional diet foods than those in a lower SES. In general, students in cities ate significantly more servings of snacks and fewer servings of traditional foods compared with those in urban and rural villages. The findings suggest that as nutritional transition progresses through urbanization and SES levels in Botswana, it will be important to increase the availability of fruits and consumption of traditional foods, while decreasing snack portion sizes.
Public Health Nutr. 2011 Aug 2:1-8. (Maruapula et al.)
