If you’re thinking of cutting carbs, whole-grain foods may not be the best place to start
By Wendy Haaf
Photo: iStock/Denira777
If you’re avoiding foods such as oatmeal, rye bread, and muesli in an effort to cut carbs, you may want to reconsider. Study results published in The Journal of Nutrition suggest whole grains may help protect against Type 2 diabetes.
Using data from a Danish cohort of more than 50,000 older adults (who ranged in age from 50 to 65 at enrolment), investigators estimated the number of servings of whole grains participants ate each day. Scientists then identified a subset of more than 7,000 subjects who had developed diabetes. Rates of diabetes proved highest among participants with the lowest intakes of whole grains: comparatively, those with the highest intakes had a 22% and 34% lower incidence, for men and women, respectively.
While one cannot definitely conclude from this data that whole grains protect against Type 2 diabetes, the study suggests that these foods do fit into a healthy diet.
