The study reported that “among more than 900 healthy men and women, those who reported consuming the most whole grains had lower levels of cholesterol and various markers of heart disease and better-controlled blood sugar.” 

"This suggests that people with a high whole-grain intake may have lower risks of diabetes and ischemic heart disease," study author Majken Karoline Jensen, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, told Reuters Health. 

An increase of the blood protein known as homocysteine seems to be the catalyst for the improved health of these who eat high whole grain diets.  This protein, tied to both heart disease and stroke, was found to be 17 percent lower among those who included many varieties of whole grains in their diets.

 

Apart from the better cholesterol and blood sugar levels, notes the article, levels of insulin and C-peptide, a marker of insulin production, were also 14 percent lower in the high whole-grain consumers, a fact that the researchers reported in a recent entry in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

The study also found that levels of leptin, a hormone that generally indicates body fat levels, were 11 percent lower among the whole-grain eaters than among those who ate little or no whole-grain foods. 

"Together with a growing body of evidence on the effects of refined carbohydrates versus whole grains, our study suggests that replacing refined grain products with whole grain products may be beneficial in terms of lowering cholesterol levels and maintaining a constant blood sugar," author Jensen told Reuters Health.
 

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