Whole Grains and Cereals Reduce Mortality

A very large study published online on BioMed Central of Americans between the ages of 50 and 71 who were followed for 14 years showed that  people consuming diets higher in whole grains and cereals were less likely to die during this period. The study population were those enrolled in the NIH-AARP study, who did not have cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or end-stage kidney disease. After 14 years those who had the highest intake of whole grains had a 17% overall lower risk of death. Those with the highest intake of cereal had a 19% lower risk of death. The researchers found that those who consumed more whole grains did tend to have a lower BMI, lower levels of smoking, and lower intakes of alcohol and red meat. They did try and control for this in the data, and found the whole grain and cereal  consumption was still independently associated with lower mortality. Studies like these need to be taken in their context of looking at whole populations. An individual with diabetes may need to limit whole grains, whereas someone without diabetes might benefit from more whole grains. It is also important to note that this association was not find with refined flour products, so it is not a ticket to eating endless carbs!