We’ve always known that there are many nutrients in grains – protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre – that are important for health and vitality, but there is now a huge body of research to show that wholegrains have even more health benefits:
For example:
-
People who eat wholegrains regularly have been shown to have lower risks of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers and to have better weight control.
-
Up to 40 per cent reduction in risk of Coronary Heart Disease by increasing wholegrain food intake to around four servings a day - comparable to the effect we get from the powerful ‘statin’ drugs doctors now prescribe to lower blood cholesterol levels. (Compare this to 10 to 15 per cent reduction in heart disease risk with increased fruit and vegetable intake, and about the same risk reduction with use of the cholesterol-lowering sterol margarine spreads)
-
Overwhelming evidence that eating a variety of wholegrain and high fibre foods made from grains and legumes helps to prevent, and manage, diabetes.
-
People who eat 2-3 serves of wholegrain foods each day are 20-30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who do not eat any wholegrain foods.
Gograins no 16 June 05
WHOLEGRAINS: AS EFFECTIVE AS STATIN DRUGS
Source:
Go Grains Nutrition Information Service
(May 2005)
A new international research review has found that people who eat wholegrain foods regularly can have a 20 to 40 per cent lower risk of heart disease and stroke compared with those who rarely eat wholegrain foods.
Heart disease is now the leading cause of death in Australia, claiming one life every ten minutes.
The new review, conducted by Dr Peter Clifton and Ingrid Flight from the CSIRO Division of Health Sciences and Nutrition, included research conducted around the world with people from all backgrounds, in all age groups and from different cultures.
Dr Clifton said most Australians would be surprised to know there is this much protection against Australia’s biggest killer available right at their fingertips, just by altering their diet.
“The 20 to 40 per cent reduction in risk of heart disease and stroke by increasing wholegrain food intake is a huge benefit compared to the effect of other foods commonly promoted for heart health,” Dr Clifton said.
“For example, we see a 10 to 15 per cent reduction in heart disease risk with increased fruit and vegetable intake, and about the same risk reduction with use of the cholesterol-lowering sterol margarine spreads.
“However, the benefit of up to 40 per cent reduction in risk from increasing wholegrain intake to around four servings a day is comparable to the effect we get from the powerful ‘statin’ drugs doctors now prescribe to lower blood cholesterol levels,” Dr Clifton said.
There are currently 15 million prescriptions written each year in Australia for cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, making them the single largest expenditure item on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
One surprising finding in the literature review related to Glycaemic Index (GI) and wholegrain foods.
“If your carbohydrates are wholegrain, they will be protective against heart disease and stroke, even though they have a high GI rating,” Dr Clifton said.
“The protective effect of other components in wholegrain foods appears to outweigh any role played by GI, making it clear that the GI rating for food is only one factor to consider when choosing a healthy diet for optimum health and disease prevention,” he said.
Dr Clifton’s review has been submitted for publication in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Gograins no 17 July 05
WHOLEGRAINS: REDUCING
COLON CANCER
Source: British
Journal of Cancer 92(9):1803-7 (2005)
A high intake of wholegrains may decrease the risk of colon cancer in women, according to a new Swedish study.
Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, prospectively examined the association between wholegrain consumption and colorectal cancer risk in the population-based 'Swedish Mammography Cohort.'
A total of 61,433 women completed a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline (1987-1990) and, through linkage with the Swedish Cancer Registry, 805 incident cases of colorectal cancer were identified during a mean follow-up of 14.8 years.
High consumption of whole grains was associated with a lower risk of colon cancer, but not of rectal cancer.
The multivariate rate ratio (RR) of colon cancer for the top category of whole grain consumption (at least 4.5 servings day) compared with the bottom category (less than 1.5 servings day) was 0.67. The corresponding RR after excluding cases occurring within the first 2 years of follow-up was 0.65.
Based on these results, the researchers conclude that high consumption of wholegrains may decrease the risk of colon cancer in women.
Low-fat diet could slow
breast cancer, new study
15/07/2005
Researchers at UCLA have reported that daily exercise and replacing the
typical high-fat American diet with low-fat, high-fiber foods may slow
the growth of breast cancer cells in postmenopausal women by as much as
19 percent, writes Jess Halliday.
The
latest study, presented this week at the International Research
Conference on Food, Nutrition and Cancer in Washington, DC, builds on
previous evidence that breast cancer risk can be reduced by diet.
Earlier this year UCLA made public the findings of an epidemiological study involving more than 2,400 women with early-stage breast cancer. They were seen to have significantly less chance of their cancer return within five years if they ate a low-fat diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, compared with eating typical American diet high in fat. However lead investigator Dr James Barnard, professor of physiological science at UCLA, said that his study is a departure in one key respect: "This is the first study to my knowledge to show that lifestyle changes can induce apoptosis, or cell death, in breast cancer cells."
Twenty-six postmenopausal women attended a 13-day program at the Pritkin Longevity Center and Spa, during which they adhered to an exercise regime and consumed a low-fat, high-fiber diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The researchers took blood samples at the start and end of the trial, and placed these samples in three different sets of culture dishes, each with a different line of breast cancer cells.
In all three they noted a 20 to 30 percent increase in apoptosis (tumor cell death) when they compared the samples from the start of the trial to those at the end.
They also measured changes in serum estradiol (a form of estrogen), insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) – all of which are independent risk factors for breast cancer development. In women taking hormone replacement therapy estradiol levels fell by an average of 34 percent, and in those not taking it by 27 percent. Insulin levels fell by 29 percent and IGF-1 levels by 19 percent in all the women. Overall Barnard concluded that the combined effect of the two processes resulted in serum changes that slowed the growth of breast cancer cells by as much as 19 percent. Dr William McCarthy of UCLA's School of Public Health said: "This is exciting research because it shows that women can make changes in a very short period of time that can have a dramatic impact on their health - in this case, on the growth and death of breast cancer cells.” The US has one of the highest incidences of breast cancer in the world, where it accounted for 41,250 deaths in 2002. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2005 approximately 211,240 women will be diagnosed with the disease.
In Asian countries such as Japan, where the typical diet contains much less fat and more fresh, high-fiber foods, breast cancer rates are much lower. But Barnard warned that they may not maintain their advantage for long: "As Asian countries like Japan are now becoming more Westernized, their breast cancer rates are going up substantially," he said. Not all research into the link between breast cancer and diet has yielded positive results, however. A large, European-wide study published in JAMA this January concluded that fruit and vegetables do not in fact reduce the risk, despite previous evidence to the contrary.
Nonetheless, the authors wrote: “This does not exclude the possibility that protective effects may be observed for specific nutrients or in specific subgroups of women, such as those with a family history of breast cancer or oestrogen-receptor positive tumours.”
WHOLEGRAINS:
HEART STUDY REINFORCES INTEREST
Source: American
Heart Journal
This study recorded that women with a history of heart disease who reported having eaten six or more servings of wholegrains per week were shown to have slower progression of atherosclerosis, a condition where built-up plaque narrows the arteries which direct blood to the heart. The findings of this study, funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), are published in the July issue of the American Heart Journal.
The research verifies that food manufacturers introducing wholegrain products are right to emphasise the health benefits of wholegrains. New technology means that more products can incorporate wholegrains without compromising taste.
Until recently, a lack of milling options had meant bakers were unable to make wholegrain bread with a similar taste and texture to white bread. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that people consume at least three servings of wholegrain foods a day. Currently most Americans eat less than a single serving of wholegrains daily.
The ARS study was led by Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. She and colleagues studied 229 postmenopausal women who had participated in the Oestrogen Replacement and Atherosclerosis Study.
The researchers found that the progression of stenosis, the narrowing of the arterial passageways, was less in women who reported higher intakes of cereal fibre from wholegrain foods than those reporting lower intakes. The data suggests that following current dietary recommendations can slow the rate of heart disease progression.
Wholegrains can be found in breakfast cereals made with wholegrains, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, popcorn, wholemeal bread and cereal, bran muffins and wholemeal flour.
Ex GoGRains newsletter no 19
WHOLEGRAINS
AND LEGUMES: HALTING PROSTATE CANCER
Source:
Journal of Urology
(2005)
Sep;174(3):1065-9; discussion 1069-70.
US researchers claim that men with early stage prostate cancer, who make radical changes to their diet and lifestyle may be able to stop or even reverse the progression of their cancer.
This study is one of the first randomised, controlled trials to show that changing diet and lifestyle may affect the development of a cancer.
The researchers from the University of California enrolled 93 men with 'biopsy proven' prostate cancer who had chosen not to seek conventional treatment for the cancer.
Divided into two random groups, the first group was put on a vegan diet, eating fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes. This group also received supplements of soy, vitamins and minerals and undertook moderate aerobic exercise, yoga or meditation and a group support session once a week. No members of this group undertook conventional cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiation) during the trial.
The second group did not alter their diet and lifestyle. Six members of this group underwent conventional treatment as their cancer had progressed.
After one year, PSA levels (a protein marker for prostate cancer) decreased in the group who had changed their lifestyle. In comparison, the second group PSA levels increased. The study showed a direct correlation between the degree of lifestyle change and the change in PSA levels.
"This study provides important new information for men with prostate cancer and all men who hope to prevent it," said Dr Peter Carroll, study author and Chair of the Urology Department at the University of California.
Dr Carroll said that the study is the first in a series of trials attempting to better identify the exact role of diet and lifestyle in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer.
* Click here for more information on wholegrain foods and reducing cancer risk
Laucke Flour Mills Pty Ltd
PO Box 200 Strathalbyn SA 5255
E-mail: bread@laucke.com.au
Phone: (08) 8536 5555
Fax: (08) 8536 3636
[terms & conditions]
[privacy statement]