Why Whole Grains Reign

[Guest guest]

Why Whole Grains Reign

by Karen Baar

 

Looking for a diet to help beat Type 2 diabetes? Two

long-term studies suggest there's more than a grain of

truth in the tip to eat more brown rice, barley,

buckwheat and oats.

 

A Harvard Medical School study, published in the

American Journal of Public Health in September 2000,

tracked the diets of 75,000+ women, ages 38 to 63, for

10 years. When the study began, none had a diagnosis

of type-2 diabetes -- the increasingly common form of

the disease, which often strikes in middle age.

 

A decade later, nearly 2,000 of them did.

 

Whole Grains Reduce Risk

 

Participants who ate about three servings of

whole-grain foods each day were 27% less likely to

develop diabetes.

 

Those who ate the most refined grains -- white rice,

pasta, white bread -- had a 57% higher risk of

developing the disease.

 

Similarly, a University of Minnesota School of Public

Health study published in the April 2000 American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that among the

35,000 older women enrolled in the Iowa Women's Health

Study -- a long-term study of diet and disease --

those who ate the most whole grains were 21% less

likely to develop diabetes over a six-year period.

 

Although these studies looked only at women, " there's

a fair amount of evidence that the same things hold

true for men, " notes David Jacobs, Ph.D., professor of

epidemiology at the University of Minnesota School of

Public Health, and an author of the study.

 

A New Approach to Carbs

 

The idea that all carbohydrates are not created equal

is a new theme in diabetes prevention -- in the past,

brown bread and beans were lumped in the same category

as crumb cakes and crullers.

 

" People haven't paid enough attention to the kind of

carbohydrate when it comes to type-2 diabetes, " says

Simin Liu, M.D., Sc.D., principal author of the

Harvard Medical School study.

 

How do whole grains protect? No one knows. But it is

clear they offer a package of beneficial nutrients and

phytochemicals that could be responsible, either

individually or in combination.

 

" It could be dietary fiber or some of the minerals

found in whole grains, such as magnesium, chromium or

other minerals not yet studied, " suggests Lawrence H.

Kushi, Ph.D., an author of the Minnesota study and now

Ella McCollum Vahlteich Professor in Nutrition at

Teacher's College, Columbia University in New York.

 

Keeping Blood Sugar in Check

 

Experts also point to whole grains' positive effects

on blood sugar, a key factor in diabetes. A diet that

includes beans, vegetables and fiber-rich fruits

raises blood sugar levels less dramatically than one

heavier in refined grains, flour, sugar, and sugary

sodas -- even if the absolute amount of carbohydrates

is exactly the same.

 

Fiber -- especially the kind found in beans, barley

and oats -- is one reason certain carbohydrate-rich

diets raise blood sugar more slowly than others.

Another is " particle size " -- for instance, it takes

longer for your body to break down brown rice than

brown rice flour.

 

Since 1981, researchers have been measuring the

" glycemic index " -- the tendency of a given amount of

food to raise blood sugar levels in the two hours

after eating.

 

Carbohydrates that are slow to break down will release

glucose into the bloodstream gradually, and have a

lower glycemic index. But foods with a higher glycemic

index tend to cause spikes in blood sugar, putting

more strain on the pancreas.

 

" Glycemic load " looks at the total amount of

carbohydrates you eat as well as their glycemic index.

To reduce your glycemic load, improve the quality of

your carbohydrates. In short, eat more whole fruits

and vegetables.

 

Miavita Scientific Advisor Edward Giovannucci, M.D.,

Sc.D., a co-author of the Harvard study anticipates

that " Whole grains and beans will be shown to be more

and more important in preventing chronic disease in

the coming years. There are a lot of studies in the

pipeline. "

 

" We now have solid evidence that diet matters, " says

Dr. Liu. " Diabetes is a very preventable disease. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Language is an expression of thought. Everytime you speak, your mind is on

Parade Exodus 20:8-11 & Hebrews 4:9

 

 

 

New DSL Internet Access from SBC &

http://sbc.