Adults who consume at least three servings of whole-grain in a day witness much smaller increases in waist size, blood pressure and blood sugar in comparison to people who eat less than half a serving per day, finds new research.
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, the study analysed the impact of eating whole and refined grains over time across five risk factors of heart disease. The factors included waist size, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglyceride, and HDL or good cholesterol.
The research defined one serving of whole grains as one slice of whole-grain bread, a half cup of rolled oats cereal, or a half-cup of brown rice.
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As per the grain consumption data of 3,100 people over a median of 18 years, the low whole-grain group witnessed a rise of 1 inch in their waist size on average whereas the increase was about half an inch for the higher intake group.
What’s more, the average increase in blood sugar levels and systolic blood pressure was also lower in the high intake group, even after adjusting for waistline differences. The research team noted that eating whole-grain food as part of a healthy diet can be helpful in not just losing or maintaining weight as we age, but it may also protect against heart disease.
Elaborating on the importance of whole grains, the authors said that the dietary fibre in whole grains helps you feel full for longer and controls post-meal blood sugar spikes. While magnesium, potassium and antioxidants may contribute to lowering blood pressure.
Some great examples of whole grains include wheat, corn, brown rice, oats, amaranth, ragi, barley, quinoa and jowar.
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