Many popular diets encourage people to minimize carbohydrates, but new research suggests this macronutrient can play an important role in heart health — when you choose whole grains.
The data analysis found that adults who ate the most whole grains (up to six servings per day) had lower body weight, waist size, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels compared with similar adults who ate fewer whole grains — all important markers tied to heart disease risk.
“Making whole grains a regular part of your diet is a simple dietary change that can support long-term heart health,” says Cheng-Han Chen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, who wasn’t involved in the new research.
The Study Focused on Heart Disease Risk Factors
Published in the European Heart Journal, the analysis compiled data from 87 clinical trials involving more than 6,500 people, all examining the impact of whole-grain foods on risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
The researchers discovered that people who ate more whole grains had better markers of heart health compared with similar adults who ate fewer whole-grain foods. These markers included lower body weight, smaller waist size, lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. People who ate more whole grains also had lower blood levels of interleukin-6, a marker of inflammation.
