Cereals and cereal products - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Food Nutr Res. 2024 Feb 14;68. doi: 10.29219/fnr.v68.10457. eCollection 2024.ABSTRACTCereals and cereal products have traditionally been staple foods in many countries including in the Nordics and Baltics. Cereals can be consumed with their entire grain kernel and are then referred to as whole grains or can be consumed after removal of the bran or germ and are then referred to as refined grains. The terms cereals and grains are often used interchangeably. In this scoping review, we examine the associations between intake of cereals and cereal products and major health outcomes to contribute to up-to-date food-based dietary guidelines for the Nordic and Baltic countries in the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 project. Five qualified systematic reviews that covered non-communicable diseases, mortality, and risk factors were identified, and a supplementary literature search was performed in the MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for more recent studies and other endpoints. Compared to other high-income countries, the Nordic populations have a high consumption of whole grain foods. In some of the countries, rye constitutes a substantial fraction of the cereal consumption. However, few studies are available for specific cereals, and most of the research has been performed in predominantly wheat-consuming populations. The evidence suggests clear dose-response associations between a high intake of whole grains and lower risks of cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 dia...
Source: Food and Nutrition Research - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: research