Whole grains are different from refined grains in that they retain their fibre, vitamin and mineral content. This gives whole grains different physiological effects to their refined counterparts, the latter increasingly being associated with blood sugar disorders such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Epidemiological studies suggest that whole grain consumption is associated with a more beneficial profile of blood lipids, something that may be related to their beneficial glycaemic effects. Although epidemiological studies cannot attribute cause and effect, clinical trials investigating whole grain versus refined grain consumption have been broadly supportive of the hypothesis that whole grain consumption produces beneficial effects on glycaemia and insulin sensitivity. This beneficial glycaemic effect of whole grain consumption explains the accumulating data that shows that whole grain consumption may be beneficial at causing weight loss.
For example, researchers1 have used data from the National Health Examination Survey 1999-2000 to investigate the relationship between whole grain consumption and body composition in women from the United States. The results showed that women consuming at least one serving of whole grain food had a body mass index and waist circumference that was significantly lower compared to women consuming no whole grain foods. This result was significant even following adjustment for know confounding variables. Women consuming no whole grains had an odds ratio of 1.47 for having a body mass index of over 25, compared to those women consuming one or more servings of whole grains. Of the women in the survey, 30% consumed no whole grain foods in their diet, 70% consumed less than one serving, but on 6% consumed the recommended 3 servings of whole grains per day.
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