Two independent studies published 12 years apart in the journal Diabetes Care evaluated the possible impact of the environment on the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Arizona’s Pima Indians, a group with the highest reported prevalence of obesity and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Data were collected on a population of Pima ancestry living in a remote mountainous location in northwestern Mexico, living a markedly different, “traditional” lifestyle in comparison to the Pima people of Arizona.  In the 1994 study, measurements of weight, height, body fat, blood pressure, plasma levels of glucose, cholesterol and HbA1c were obtained in 19 women and 16 men and compared with Pimas of the same sex, age, and diabetes status living in Arizona.  The study found that Mexican Pimas were lighter and shorter with lower BMIs and lower plasma total cholesterol levels than Arizona Pimas.  Only two women (11%) and one man (6%) had diabetes, contrasting with the expected prevalence of 37% and 54% in female and male Arizona Pimas, respectively. Twelve years later, the 2006 study reflected the same: significantly lower incidences of obesity and diabetes in the populations living in Mexico and leading a traditional lifestyle. The Mexican Pimas also enjoyed higher levels of physical activity than their U.S. Pima counterparts.
Diabetes Care 1994 Sep; 17(9): 1067-74 (Ravussin et al.)
Diabetes Care 2006 Aug; 29(8): 1866-71 (Schulz et al.)

The risk of periodontitis, a serious inflammation of the gums that is the major cause of tooth loss in adults, may be reduced by eating more whole grains. Anwar Merchant and colleagues at McMaster University in Ontario studied more than 34,000 men over a 14-year period, and concluded that three to four servings of whole grains daily “may be optimal to reduce periodontitis risk.”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2006; vol 83(6):1395-1400

Lower post-prandial blood glucose response can be important both for preventing and for controlling diabetes. In a study at the University of the Philippines, researchers used a randomized cross-over design to compare the effects on blood glucose of brown rice and white rice on 10 healthy and nine Type 2 diabetic volunteers. In healthy volunteers, the glycemic area and glycemic index were, respectively, 19.8% and 12.1% lower with brown rice than with white rice; with diabetics, the same values for brown rice were 35.2% and 35.6% lower than with white rice.
International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. May-June 2006; 57 (3-4): 151-8.

Oxidative DNA damage is one of the metabolic precursors to cancer and coronary vascular disease and phenols are organic compounds with antioxidant properties. A study conducted in Florence, Italy measured the oxidative DNA damage in ten healthy, post-menopausal women when they consumed olive oils with different concentrations of natural phenols. Subjects replaced fats and oils habitually consumed with the study oil (50g/d), which was either a high-phenol extra virgin olive oil (592 mg total phenols/kg) or a low-phenol extra virgin olive oil (147 mg total phenols/kg) for eight weeks in each period.  The study found that during treatment of high-phenol-EVOO, the average oxidative DNA damage was 30% lower than the average during low-phenol-EVOO treatment. Though the sample size was small, the study indicated that consuming an extra-virgin olive oil rich in phenols, particularly hydroxytryosol, may reduce DNA damage.
British Journal of Nutrition 2006 Apr; 95(4): 742-51 (Salvini et al.)
 

Overweight children, age 9-15, spent two weeks on an all-you-can-eat diet of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein, while exercising 2.5 hours each day. UCLA researchers led by Dr. James Barnard reported that in just two weeks the children’s cholesterol levels dropped an average of 21%, while insulin levels fell 30%. Leptin, a hormone thought to be connected to appetite, decreased on average 57%.
Study presented at American Heart Association conference, March 2006

Nancy Keim and a team at the USDA ARS Western Human Nutrition Center studied 10 women age 20-45 who ate a whole grain diet for three days, then ate the same foods but with refined grains in place of whole grains. Blood samples at the end of each 3-day period showed that the refined grains diet caused a significant increase in triglycerides and a worrisome protein called “apolipoprotein CIII” (apoCIII), both of which have been associated with increased risk of heart disease. A larger study is underway.
Agricultural Research, March 2006, 20-21

A joint Danish-American study analyzed diet records and took blood samples from 938 healthy men and women. The team, including Majken Jensen of Aarhus University Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health, found that those with the highest whole grain consumption had the lowest levels of risk factors in their blood: homocysteine 17% lower, insulin and C-peptide both 14% lower, and leptin 11% lower. Researchers concluded, “The results suggest a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease in persons who consume diets high in whole grains.”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, February 2006; vol 83(2):275-283

While many studies have previously shown that whole grains reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults, a recent study led by Nadine Sahyoun at the University of Maryland shows for the first time that this benefit extends to older adults. In Sahyoun’s study, whole grains were also linked with a lower overall risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2006; vol 83(1):124-133

A University of Milan study compared buckwheat, oats, and, quinoa to see if any of them showed promise in helping with appetite control.  In three experiments – one for each grain – subjects’ satisfaction and subsequent calorie consumption were compared, after eating the study grain and after eating wheat or rice. All three study grains had a higher Satiating Efficiency Index (SEI) than wheat or rice; white bread was in fact lowest in appetite satisfaction. Unfortunately, even after feeling fuller from eating the study grains, the subjects did not cut their calories at the next meal!
British Journal of Nutrition, November 2005; 94 (5):850-8.

While very few people are allergic to rice, when allergies do occur they are usually linked to specific proteins. Japanese researchers found that sprouted brown rice was much lower in two abundant allergens, when compared to non-sprouted brown rice, and that the reduction was probably caused by protease (enzyme) activity during germination.
Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, October 2005; 69(10):1877-83.

Scientists at the University of Nebraska observed that sorghum is a rich source of phytochemicals, and decided to study sorghum’s potential for managing cholesterol. They fed different levels of sorghum lipids to hamsters for four weeks, and found that the healthy fats in sorghum significantly reduced “bad” (non-HDL) cholesterol.  Reductions ranged from 18% in hamsters fed a diet including 0.5% sorghum lipids, to 69% in hamsters fed a diet including 5% sorghum lipids.  “Good” (HDL) cholesterol was not affected. Researchers concluded that “grain sorghum contains beneficial components that could be used as food ingredients or dietary supplements to manage cholesterol levels in humans.”
Journal of Nutrition. 2005 Sep;135(9):2236-40

Data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (the EPIC-Oxford study) shows no difference between age at first menstruation or adult height  (measures of growth and development) between lifelong lacto-ovo vegetarian and non-vegetarian women. While the researchers point out that adult vegetarians generally have a lower average BMI, growth and development does not seem to be affected.
Public Health Nutrition. 2005 Aug 1;8(7), DOI 10.1079/PHN2005730. (Rosell et al.)