Barley, corn, quinoa, rice, rye or wheat are some examples of whole grains that can extend our life expectancy , according to a meta-analysis carried out by the Harvard University School of Public Health TH Chan in Massachusetts.
It is important to note that they are eaten whole, because the refining process largely reduces the nutritional values of these foods.
The study, therefore, has been carried out with almost 800,000 patients through data from the National Health and Nutrition System (NHANES) III and NHANES between 1999-2004, suggesting that for every 16 grams of portion of whole grains consumed, decreases 7% of total deaths, 9% of deaths related to cardiovascular diseases and 5% in deaths related to cancer.
However, these percentages increased as more whole grains were consumed: thus, those who consumed 48 grams of whole grain per day had a 20% lower risk of mortality. As explained by Qi Sun , leader of this study that has been published in the journal Circulation :
These findings suggest that a higher consumption of whole grains facilitates disease prevention. Based on the solid evidence from this meta-analysis and numerous previous studies that collectively document the beneficial effects of whole grains, I believe that health experts should unanimously recommend whole grain consumption to the general population, as well as to patients with certain diseases, to help achieve better health and perhaps reduce mortality.
Via | MedlinePlus
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