Whole Grains Decrease the Risk of Chronic Disease

Diets rich in whole grains can lead to significant weight loss and lower the risk to suffer from chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at the at University Park and the College of Medicine.

Previously, whole grain consumption has been associated with weight loss and lower blood pressure, according to co-author Penny Kris-Etherton. The study involved twenty five obese males and twenty-five obese females with ages between twenty and sixty-five. The subjects were also suffering of metabolic syndrome, a condition that can increase the risk to suffer from diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The participants were randomly assigned to one group that had all grain servings from refined grains and another group whose grain servings came from whole grains. The study lasted for twelve weeks and all participants were encouraged to have moderate physical activity and received dietary advice on weight loss. The subjects were also asked to have five servings of fruits and vegetables, two servings of lean meat like fish or poultry, and three servings of low-fat dairy products per day.

The study`s results showed that both groups registered significant weight loss but the group who had whole grains registered a greater weight loss in the abdominal region. The whole grain group also registered a thirty-eight decrease of the levels of C-reactive proteins in the blood. C-reactive proteins are inflammatory markers found especially in case of people with higher risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes.

Usually, weight loss is associated with the decrease of the levels of C-reactive protein. However, in case of the refined grain group the levels of this marker of inflammation did not modified, said Kris-Etherton.