Whole Grain & Bran Reduce Chronic Disease Risks

The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that whole grains account for at least half of the recommended 6 to 11 daily grain servings, to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Yet, fewer than 1 in 10 Americans meets this recommendation.  Researchers with the American Society of Nutrition performed a literature review of human studies that investigated the contribution of bran or cereal fiber eon the impact of whole grains for chronic disease risk reduction.  Noting that: “Most whole-grain studies included mixtures of whole grains and foods with ≥25% bran,” the study authors report that: “Prospective studies consistently showed a reduced risk of [type 2 diabetes] with high intakes of cereal fiber or mixtures of whole grains and bran. For body weight, a limited number of prospective studies on cereal fiber and whole grains reported small but significant reductions in weight gain. For [cardiovascular disease], studies found reduced risk with high intakes of cereal fiber or mixtures of whole grains and bran.”