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Although we all know that whole grains proved to be better for our bodies, rather than rice or any sort of processed cereal, today we get to know just how much better. When mentioning whole grains, the following studies refer to brown rice, whole wheat, and whole oats.
The Harvard School of Public Health has conducted a study which shows that a person can lower the risk of heart attacks and other diseases by eating a portion of whole grains daily. Nevertheless, the whole grains by themselves, without any physical exercises and a balanced diet would prove useless, evidently. Accordingly, people bring the argument that whole grains lovers also have a healthier lifestyle, so scientist should not give the credit to whole grains specifically.
However, the researchers found out that the benefits come most likely from the bran. This means that the bran, the healthy coating of whole wheat and brown rice covering the germ, the inner part, is the miracle worker.
In order to reach these conclusions, Hongyu Wu from the Harvard School of Public Health and his colleagues based their theory on two very detailed health studies: the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, (approximately 44,000 men from 1986 to 2010), and the Nurses’ Health Study (covering 74,000 women between 1984 and 2010).
The studies proved to give tremendous insight to scientists, containing detailed information about the volunteers: their medical exams, what/when/how often they eat, whether they smoke, exercise, and so on.
During the studies, 29,920 of the volunteers died. Considering their age, weight, and other factors, the researchers concluded that the regular consumer of whole grains had a lower predisposition to dying, and the rate of heart disease was inferior. One area in which eating whole grains didn’t have an effect was the risk of dying from cancer.
If you are wondering why are whole grains better for you, here you have the answer: they contain more beneficial nutrients than processed grains, such as vitamin E, fiber, and magnesium. They are also great for preventing DNA damage, decreasing inflammation and helping the consumer reduce the risk of diabetes.
The authors of the study also discovered that substituting red meat with a serving of whole grains would bring more benefit and would reduce by 20 percent the chances of cardiovascular diseases.
Image Source: Full Life Nutrition
