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ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION |
1 From the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (MKJ, MF, LS, and EBR); the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark (MKJ); the Department of Preventive Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN (PK-B); the Centre for Alcohol Research, National Institute of Public Health, Copenhagen, Denmark (MG); the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (EBR); and the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (EBR)
Background: Intake of whole grains is inversely associated with risk of diabetes and ischemic heart disease in observational studies. The lower risk associated with high whole-grain intakes may be mediated through improvements in glycemic control, lipid profiles, or reduced inflammation.
Objective: The aim was to examine whether the intake of whole grains, bran, and germ is related to homocysteine, plasma markers of glycemic control (fasting insulin, hemoglobin A1c, C-peptide, and leptin), lipids (total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol), and inflammation (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and interleukin 6).
Design: This was a cross-sectional study of the relations of whole grains, bran, and germ intakes with homocysteine and markers of glycemic control, lipids, and inflammation in 938 healthy men and women.
Results: Whole-grain intake was inversely associated with homocysteine and markers of glycemic control. Compared with participants in the bottom quintile of whole-grain intake, participants in the highest quintile had 17%, 14%, 14%, and 11% lower concentrations of homocysteine (P < 0.01), insulin (P = 0.12), C-peptide (P = 0.03), and leptin (P = 0.03), respectively. Inverse associations were also observed with total cholesterol (P = 0.02), HDL cholesterol (P = 0.05), and LDL cholesterol (P = 0.10). Whole-grain intake was not associated with the markers of inflammation. Whole-grain intake was most strongly inversely associated with markers of glycemic control in this population.
Conclusion: The results suggest a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease in persons who consume diets high in whole grains.
Key Words: Whole grains bran germ homocysteine glycemic control lipids inflammation
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