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Bring on the Bran
Senior Citizens Live Longer, Healthier Eating Whole
Grain Bread
Expert finds protection from diabetes, heart disease
and cancer
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U.S. Dietary
Guidelines 2005 |
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"Consume 3 or more
ounce-equivalents of whole-grain products per day, with the rest
of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain
products. In general, at least half the grains should come from
whole grains." (Read more on guidelines below story.) |
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Jan.18, 2006 - It doesn’t matter how old you are,
whole grain bread is still better for you than white bread. An expert on
nutrition for senior citizens has found that older adults who eat whole
grains foods, instead of refined grain products, have lower incidence of
health conditions that can lead to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
This new study was led by University of Maryland
professor Nadine Sahyoun, an expert in nutrition for older adults. The
research shows senior citizens not only can reduce their risk of certain
health problems, but will have a lower mortality rate from
cardiovascular disease than people who don’t eat whole grain.
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In a paper published in the January edition of the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Sahyoun’s team looked at how
eating whole grain foods affects the metabolic syndrome of older adults.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition characterized by disturbed glucose and
insulin metabolism, central obesity and hypertension.
By looking at 3-day food diaries of more than 500
people aged 60 and older, Sahyoun’s group found those who consumed more
whole grains were at significantly lower risk of having metabolic
syndrome.
“There have been studies that show the benefits for
a middle-aged population,” said Sahyoun, assistant professor in
Maryland’s department of nutrition and food science.
“Ours is the first study that shows the
relationship between eating whole grains and the health benefits for
older people, whose metabolic characteristics are different from younger
adults.”
Three Servings Makes a Difference
Metabolic syndrome, which is linked to increased
risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is increasing in the United
States. It’s estimated that 40 percent of men and 51 percent of women
over 60 are affected with metabolic syndrome.
In a group whose average age was 72 for men and 73
for women, the study found that subjects who at daily consumed about
three servings of whole grain, such as whole grain bread, cereal and
brown rice, had a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome than people who
ate less than one serving a day.
Start Young
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommends people consume three or more ounces or the equivalent of
whole grain products a day.
“Whole-grain foods contain fiber, vitamins,
minerals and other things that are removed during refining,” said
Sahyoun. “We recommend that whole grain intake should start from a very
young age to develop a healthy lifestyle. Cardiovascular changes and
diabetes risk are starting to occur earlier now, especially due to the
obesity epidemic.”
U.S. Dietary Guidelines on Whole Grains
In addition to fruits and vegetables, whole grains
are an important source of fiber and other nutrients. Whole grains, as
well as foods made from them, consist of the entire grain seed, usually
called the kernel.
The kernel is made of three components—the bran,
the germ, and the endosperm. If the kernel has been cracked, crushed, or
flaked, then it must retain nearly the same relative proportions of
bran, germ, and endosperm as the original grain to be called whole
grain.
In the grain-refining process, most of the bran and
some of the germ is removed, resulting in the loss of dietary fiber
(also known as cereal fiber), vitamins, minerals, lignans,
phytoestrogens, phenolic compounds, and phytic acid. Some manufacturers
add bran to grain products to increase the dietary fiber content.
Refined grains are the resulting product of the
grain-refining processing. Most refined grains are enriched before being
further processed into foods. Enriched refined grain products that
conform to standards of identity are required by law to be fortified
with folic acid, as well as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron.
Food manufacturers may fortify whole-grain foods
where regulations permit the addition of folic acid. Currently, a number
of whole-grain, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are fortified with folic
acid. As illustrated by the comparison of whole-wheat and enriched white
flours in
table 6, many nutrients occur at higher or similar levels in whole
grains when compared to enriched grains, but whole grains have less
folate unless they have been fortified with folic acid.
Consuming at least 3 or more ounce-equivalents of
whole grains per day can reduce the risk of several chronic diseases and
may help with weight maintenance. Thus, daily intake of at least 3
ounce-equivalents of whole grains per day is recommended by substituting
whole grains for refined grains. However, because three servings may be
difficult for younger children to achieve, it is recommended that they
increase whole grains into their diets as they grow.
At all calorie levels, all age groups should
consume at least half the grains as whole grains to achieve the fiber
recommendation. All grain servings can be whole-grain; however, it is
advisable to include some folate-fortified products, such as folate-fortified
whole-grain cereals, in these whole-grain choices.
Whole grains cannot be identified by the color of
the food; label-reading skills are needed.
Table 7 identifies names of whole grains that are available in the
United States. For information about the ingredients in whole-grain and
enriched-grain products, read the ingredient list on the food label. For
many whole-grain products, the words "whole" or "whole grain" will
appear before the grain ingredient's name.
The whole grain should be the first ingredient
listed. Wheat flour, enriched flour, and degerminated cornmeal are not
whole grains. The Food and Drug Administration requires foods that bear
the whole-grain health claim to (1) contain 51 percent or more
whole-grain ingredients by weight per reference amount and (2) be low in
fat.
Whole Grains Available in the United States
Whole grains that are consumed in the United States
either as a single food (e.g., wild rice, popcorn) or as an ingredient
in a multi-ingredient food (e.g., in multi-grain breads). This listing
of whole grains was determined from a breakdown of foods reported
consumed in nationwide food consumption surveys, by amount consumed. The
foods are listed in approximate order of amount consumed, but the order
may change over time. In addition, other whole grains may be consumed
that are not yet represented in the surveys.
● Whole Wheat
● Whole oats/oatmeal
● Whole-grain corn
● Popcorn
● Brown rice
● Whole rye
● Whole-grain barley
● Wild rice
● Buckwheat
● Triticale
● Bulgur (cracked wheat)
● Millet
● Quinoa
● Sorghum
Reference:
More on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommendations for whole grain foods -
Click here.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition -
http://www.ajcn.org/
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