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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #122731
Title: WHOLE GRAIN INTAKE IS FAVORABLY ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC RISK FACTORS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES AND CVD RISK IN THE FRAMINGHAM OFFSPRING STUDY

Author
item MCKEOWN, NICOLA - HNRCA
item MEIGS, JAMES - HARVARD U
item LIU, SIMIN - HARVARD U
item WILSON, PETER - BOSTON U
item JACQUES, PAUL - HNRCA

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/19/2001
Publication Date: 1/1/2003
Citation: MCKEOWN, N.M., MEIGS, J.B., LIU, S., WILSON, P.W., JACQUES, P.F. WHOLE GRAIN INTAKE IS FAVORABLY ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC RISK FACTORS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES AND CVD RISK IN THE FRAMINGHAM OFFSPRING STUDY. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION. 2003. 76:390-8.

Interpretive Summary: Whole grain foods have higher amounts of certain nutrients than refined grains, such as vitamin E, magnesium and fiber. Diets that contain whole grains are believed to be protective against diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Foods that are whole grain include some breakfast cereals, dark bread, popcorn, cooked oatmeal, wheat germ and brown rice. Refined foods include cold breakfast cereals, foods made with white flour muffins, white rice and pasta. We divided people in our study into 5 groups. The lowest group ate less than 1/2 serving of whole grain per day while the highest group ate on average 3 servings of whole grains per day. In this study we found that those people who ate more whole grain foods were healthier than people who ate less whole grain foods. People who ate more whole grains tended to weight less than people who ate less whole grains. A fasting blood sample was taken for each person and we found that people who ate more whole grains had lower levels of cholesterol and insulin compared to those who ate less whole grain foods. Low levels of cholesterol and insulin reduce the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Therefore, diets that include whole grain foods may improve overall health.

Technical Abstract: The influence of whole grains on CHD risk may be mediated through multiple pathways such as reducing blood lipids and blood pressure, enhancing insulin sensitivity and improving blood glucose control. To examine the association between diets rich in whole or refined grain foods on several metabolic markers of disease risk in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Whole grain intake and metabolic risk markers were assessed in a cross- sectional study of 2941 subjects. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, whole grain intake was inversely associated with BMI (means were 27.1 in the lowest quintile of intake and 26.4 in the highest quintile of intake P trend=0.003); waist-hip-ratio (0.92 to 0.90, P=<0.001), total cholesterol (5.20 to 5.08 mmol/L, P=0.03) LDL-cholesterol (3.14 to 3.01 mmol/L, P=0.007), and fasting insulin (207 to 198 rmol/L, P=0.002). There were no significant trends in metabolic risk factor concentrations across quintile categories of refined grain intake. The inverse association between whole grain intake and fasting insulin was most striking among overweight participants. The association between whole grain intake and fasting insulin was attenuated after inclusion of dietary fiber (205 to 201 rmol/L, P=0.16) and magnesium (206-202 rmol/L; P=0.30). Increased intakes of whole grains may reduce disease risk by means of favorable effects on concentrations of risk factors.