A recent study published in JAMA has shown that eating more whole foods can help reduce mortality, as it prevents cardiovascular diseases.

The replacement of a portion of refined grains with a portion of whole grains produces a reduction in general mortality and cardiovascular disease of 4% and 8% respectively. Similarly, the replacement of a daily portion of red meat with a portion of whole grains has been linked to reductions of the same of 10% and 20% respectively.

Tania Mesa – Nutritionist and Nurse from Neolife

The consumption of whole foods in Americans is far below the recommended three to five servings per day (90-150 grams) as only 5% of the North American population eats sufficient whole foods to satisfy this recommendation. Therefore, a diet rich in whole grains is thought to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD), improve the quality of life and lengthen life expectancy for those who consume the recommended amount.

In the study, published in JAMA ⁽¹⁾, the intake of whole grains and mortality were examined in 74,341 women with a BMI of between 24 to 25 and an average age of 50 (those born between 1984-2010: data extracted from the Nurses’ Health Study) and 43,744 men with an average age of 53 (born between 1986-2010: data extracted from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study).

The participants answered questionnaires concerning the consumption of whole grains (wheat flour, corn, rye, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, corn etc.), and divided the results into quintiles (five groups – grouped least to most).

During the 26-year follow-up period, 26,920 deaths were recorded documenting a significant inverse linear relationship between the consumption of whole grains and mortality, particularly those caused by cardiovascular disease. For each daily portion of whole grains (28g) there is a 5% decrease in total mortality and a 9% decrease in cardiovascular related mortality, although no significant change in cancer related mortality was observed during the study.

The authors of the study estimate that the replacement of a portion of refined grains with a portion of whole foodstuffs produces a reduction in general mortality and CVD related mortality of 4% and 8% respectively. Likewise, the replacement of a daily portion of red meat with a portion of whole grains has been linked to reductions in total mortality and mortality due to CVD of 10% and 20% respectively.

Whole foods can also help prevent diabetes.

A previous study published in 2010 ⁽²⁾ observed that the replacement of a daily serving of white rice with a serving of brown rice may help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The beneficial effect of whole grains can be explained by their lower index and glycemic load when compared to refined grains and sugars. As a result, abrupt changes in plasma glucose and insulin levels can be avoided. As a result, whole grains have been associated with a lower incidence of diabetes and CVD. On the other hand, whole grains do contain more micronutrients that are considered to be beneficial to our health, such as magnesium, vitamins, lignans, phenolic acids and alkylresorcinols.

Bran (the outer husk of the grain) is a key component in the beneficial effects associated with the whole grain. The inverse relationship between bran consumption and mortality is widely understood, but not the seed (inner grain seed).

The current dietary recommendations are that we should increase consumption of whole grains to levels where they form the main source of our dietary requirement of carbohydrate. The present recommendation is three to five servings a day, where a serving is approximately 28 grams, which is the equivalent of a slice of whole grain bread, half a cup of cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta, or a cup of whole grains.

As part of our Neolife programs of Preventive Anti-ageingMedicine we recommend you avoid eating white rice, refined pasta, sugar and white bread. We recommend that you replace them with whole grain rice, whole wheat pasta, brown sugar and whole grain bread. We are aware that cooking time, texture and taste of whole foods differ from refined foodstuffs, but this is something that we can adapt to perfectly given a short period of time.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Wu H, Flint AJ, Qi Q, et al. “Association between dietary whole-grain intake and risk of mortality two large prospective studies in US men and women”. Eating whole foods extends your life A recent study published in JAMA has shown that eating more whole foods can help reduce mortality, as it prevents cardiovascular diseases.
2. The replacement of a portion of refined grains with a portion of whole grains produces a reduction in general mortality and cardiovascular disease of 4% and 8% respectively. Similarly, the replacement of a daily portion of red meat with a portion of whole grains has been linked to reductions of the same of 10% and 20% respectively. Tania Mesa – Nutritionist and Nurse from Neolife