Whole Grains: A Nutritional Treasure Trove?

Medical researchers have known for years that whole grains help reduce the risk of colon cancer and other forms of cancer.

They just weren’t exactly sure how.

Some suspected it was fiber and nothing but fiber. Others believed there was something more --- some antioxidant value in whole grains that provided an extra layer of protection.

Now, new research is shedding light on this mystery.

What researchers have discovered is that whole grains are chock-full not only of fiber but valuable phytochemicals and antioxidants equal to, and in some cases even greater than, levels known to occur in fruits and vegetables.

The problem is that until now, researchers weren’t using the right methods to detect them.

Now, scientists have discovered that these phytochemicals go undetected until they reach the large intestine and are freed up by bacteria, according to Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutritionist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science.

“Whole grains, researchers are learning, are protective, but not just because of the fiber,” Keith says.

For many researchers, the findings have amounted to a revelation. For years they had suspected a strong link between high-fiber diets and reduced risks of certain cancers, particularly colon cancer, and heart disease. Population studies revealed time and again that groups who included large amounts of fiber in their natural diets faced a lower incidence of some cancers and heart disease.

Still, in study after study in which subjects were fed supplementary fiber, the results were inconclusive.

“On one hand you have people who eat natural high-fiber diets enjoying lower rates of heart disease, breast and colon cancer, even though researchers weren’t turning up the same results in studies where subjects were fed high amounts of supplemental dietary fiber.”

Now, scientists think they’ve found the missing link.

Indeed, when you eat fiber from whole grains, you get a whole lot more than just fiber. You also get a rich store of protective antioxidants and phytochemicals tightly bound in the fiber and bran that have a delayed but nonetheless important effect.

Keith believes the findings are dovetailing with several other important developments that could bode well for Americans in the future.

For starters, the new dietary guidelines are encouraging Americans to increase their intake of whole grains --- a fact not lost on food processors. General Mills, for example, recently announced that it would begin adding whole grains to breakfast cereals that previously did not include them.

The findings even reveal some good news for southerners, a group whose regional cuisine is often disparaged as unhealthy. Research shows that corn, a dietary staple in the South, has one of the highest levels of antioxidant activity, even among fruits and vegetables.

“These findings open up another window of opportunity for people,” Keith says. “They should keep eating fruits and vegetables but they should remember that whole grains are valuable too.”

Keith offers some parting advice: Read ingredients labels carefully. The first ingredient should say whole grain flour.

“This way, you know you are getting the whole grain product,” he says.

[Source: Dr. Robert Keith, Alabama Cooperative Extension System Nutritionist and Auburn University Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, (334) 844-3273.]

Posted by Jim Langcuster at February 28, 2005 04:41 PM