Foods to Ingrain Longevity

A number of previous studies report a ink between whole grain consumption and reduced risks of heart disease and type-2 diabetes.  People who eat more whole grains also may live longer and may be less likely to die of heart disease.  Qi Sun, from Harvard School of Public Health (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues analyzed data collected on 74,341 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study from 1984 to 2010 and 43,744 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study between 1986 and 2010.  Of the 27,000 deaths occurring by 2010, those subjects who reported eating the most whole grains were almost 10% less likely to die during the course of the study, as compared to those who reported eating the least, after adjusting for confounding factors.  With every additional 28 grams (about 1 ounce) of whole grains per day, the risk of death went down by 5% and the risk of heart disease death by 9%.  Observing that: “These data indicate that higher whole grain consumption is associated with lower total and [cardiovascular disease] mortality in US men and women, independent of other dietary and lifestyle factors,” the study authors write that: “These results are in line with recommendations that promote increased whole grain consumption to facilitate disease prevention.”