The value of a wholegrain diet

Research conducted at Aberdeen University has concluded that eating more wholegrain bread, brown rice and oats can have significantly reduce risk of stroke and heart disease.

The 206 participants in the study were aged 40 to 65 and included people who were of normal weight, overweight and obese and who did varying amounts of exercise. Their blood pressures were also taken into consideration.

The participants were asked to keep to their normal diet but with the addition of three daily portions of whole grains in one group, while the other group were asked to add refined foods. A portion is considered to be around 13 to 16 grams of wholegrains - equivalent to a slice of wholegrain bread, half a cup of oats or brown rice.

It was found that blood pressure was reduced in the group that ate the wholegrains.

This confirms what has been said for many years that eating a bowl of porridge for breakfast is good for the heart. It is also already known that a high fibre diet is good for the digestion. Now, in this study, it has been confirmed that a diet high in wholegrains does reduce blood pressure.

Eating a good wholegrain diet seems a sensible step to prevent age-related illnesses for which risks particularly increase after the age of 50. The study showed that following such a diet is equivalent to taking drugs to lower blood pressure.

Frank Thies, Senior Lecturer at The Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health who led the study, said: "We observed a decrease in systolic blood pressure in the volunteers who ate the wholegrain foods, and this effect is similar to that you might expect to get from using blood pressure-lowering drugs."

Mr Thies added: “This drop in systolic blood pressure could potentially decrease the incidence of heart attack and stroke disease by at least 15 and 25 per cent respectively." He also said that the findings could be viewed as especially good news for Scottish food producers.

To sum up, a bowl of porridge for breakfast, wholemeal sandwiches for lunch and a great brown rice risotto should be, in combination, a great preventative for stroke and heart disease.

What's this?