New research has found that there may be additional benefits to adding more whole grains to your diet.
The study found that eating four to six servings of whole grains a day may deliver meaningful health benefits. Those benefits include improved heart health, according to a large review of 87 clinical trials.
Researchers also found improvements in body weight, waist size, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, triglyceride levels and some markers of inflammation.
The research, which was published in the European Heart Journal, suggested that benefits begin at around three servings per day.
RECENT HEALTH NEWS | Interactive: A brain Aneurysm ruptures every 18 minutes in America. Do you know your risk?
"Although higher whole-grain intake has long been linked to better heart health in population studies, clinical trials have produced mixed findings," said Dr. Helda Tutunchi from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. "This left an important practical question unanswered: how much whole grain should people eat to meaningfully improve cardiovascular health? To address this, we systematically combined and analyzed all available randomized controlled trials to identify the amount of whole grain associated with the greatest benefits."
Tutunchi added that benefits were already apparent among people consuming 30 to 40 grams per day. However, the strongest effects were generally observed at 60 to 100 grams daily.
Researchers said that amount is roughly equivalent to a bowl of oatmeal, a sandwich made with whole-grain bread or a serving of brown rice.
"Our findings provide a practical indication of the amount of wholegrain that may be needed to achieve meaningful improvements in cardiovascular risk factors. Increasing wholegrain intake is a relatively simple, accessible and affordable dietary strategy that can complement other lifestyle and medical interventions," said Dr. Tutunchi.
Overall, the findings suggest that adding whole grains to your diet is unlikely to have a dramatic effect on cardiovascular health by itself. However, replacing refined grains with minimally processed whole-grain foods may be a simple way to improve overall health.
