Guest guest Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <hsiresearch HSI e-Alert - The Whole Story Tue, 07 Mar 2006 08:31:26 -0500 Dear Reader, I recently saw an advertisement for Orville Redenbacher's popcorn with this banner proudly displayed: " Popcorn is a Whole Grain! " Given that microwave popcorn is highly processed, it's a bit of a stretch to compare this type of popcorn with food that's truly nutritious. Nevertheless, there's plenty of good evidence that whole grains provide health benefits for most people. Today I'll look at two ways that whole grains help men stay healthy as they age. ----------- The outer layer ----------- Grain Benefit One: CHD prevention Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a trial to examine the association between whole-grain intakes in men and the incidence of coronary heart disease. CHD occurs when the interior walls of arteries become blocked. As reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers analyzed data collected from more than 42,000 men whose ages ranged from 40 to 75 at the outset of the study. At that time, all of the subjects were free from cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. The responses to detailed dietary questionnaires were followed for 14 years, along with medical records. About 1,800 cases of CHD were recorded during the study period. After cardiovascular disease risk factors were taken into account, researchers found that subjects who had the highest intake of whole grains were far less likely to be diagnosed with CHD compared to men who had the lowest intake. Some foods have added bran, and this was taken into account as well. Bran is the fiber-rich, outer layer of grain. Results showed that the highest intake of added bran was associated with lowered CHD risk compared to those with the lowest intake. Researchers noted that this result " suggests that the bran component of whole grains could be a key factor in this relation. " ----------- Two for one ----------- Grain Benefit Two: Colon polyp prevention Another American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that whole grains contribute to colon health. A team from the University of Arizona and the National Cancer Institute examined the results of two intervention trials: the Polyp Prevention Trial and the Wheat Bran Fiber Trial. In the first trial, more than 2,000 men and women were randomly assigned either a high fiber diet or a " normal " diet. In the Wheat Bran Fiber Trail, nearly 1,430 men and women ate a daily cereal that contained either 13.5 grams of wheat bran fiber, or two grams of wheat bran fiber. When the combined data was analyzed, researchers found that higher wheat bran fiber intake was associated with a significantly reduced risk of colon polyp recurrence among men, but not women. I should note that the follow-up period of this study was only two to four years, and the latency period of colon cancer is 10 to 20 years. So this is by no means the last word on the long-term effects of wheat bran intake on colon cancer prevention. ----------- The whole megillah ----------- Both of these studies focused on bran. But that shouldn't distract us from the value of keeping grains whole. Most " whole grain " breads and cereals you'll find on supermarket shelves are not truly whole grain, but rather a mix of flours that simply includes some whole grain. For the real thing you'll need to look for grains (wheat, oats, barely, cornmeal and brown rice) that contain the fiber-rich bran, the starchy endosperm, and the nutritious germ. Keep these three elements together in a true 100 percent whole grain product, and you'll get fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. But a word of caution: Many people are sensitive to a component of grains called gluten, which can trigger celiac disease. Even worse, a good number of those people aren't even aware they have a sensitivity. For more information about celiac disease, see the e-Alert " Bringing in the Sheaves " (2/18/03), which can be found on our web site at hsibaltimore.com. ********************* ....and another thing Studies are useful for applying scientific guidelines and weighing the results. But there's a lot to be said for good old-fashioned anecdotal evidence. After I sent you the e-Alert " Staying in Circulation " (2/8/06) regarding a recent study about L-arginine (an amino acid that reduces inflammation and promotes blood circulation by dilating vessels), I received this e-mail from an HSI member named Ulrich. " I was interested about the study of L-Arginine. I have heart disease and almost 16 years ago I underwent 4-bypass surgery, probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life. For several years I have been taking L-Arginine with excellent results, no bad side effects of any kind. Recently I underwent a government sponsored double-blind study on IV- chelation therapy and find myself having considerably less angina pain. I would recommend this therapy to anyone with heart disease or any other circulatory problems. " To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ********************* Sources: " Intakes of Whole Grains, Bran, and Germ and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 6, December 2004, ajcn.org " Fiber, Sex, and Colorectal Adenoma: Results of a Pooled Analysis " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 83, No. 2, February 2006, ajcn.org " Dietary Fibre and Colorectal Cancer - Where Do We Stand? " NutraIngredients, 2/20/06, nutraingredients.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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