Wholegrains, not just porridge, may increase life

Conclusion This analysis of two large prospective cohort studies from the US has found an association between higher wholegrain intake and a reduced risk of death during follow-up, particularly from heart disease. The study benefits from its large size (more than 100,000 participants) and long duration, as well as the thorough collection of information on the participants as the study progressed (prospective data collection). Our diets and lifestyles are very complex, and it is very difficult to entirely isolate the effect of one dietary component and remove the effect of all other factors. However, the researchers have assessed and taken into account a wide range of factors in their analyses that could affect the risk of death. This means the results are more likely to reflect the effect of wholegrain foods specifically, rather than other factors. But the authors themselves acknowledge some factors may still be having an effect. In addition, the study relies on self-reported estimates of dietary intake from the participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All of the participants in the study were health professionals from the US. The results may not be representative of what would be seen in other groups – for example, those of lower socioeconomic status. Also, while the study found no reduction in deaths from cancer overall, it did not look at deaths from individual types of cancer, such as bowel cancer. With these limitations in mind, the researchers have produc...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news