In
todayıs fast-paced world we order pizza on the cellphone,
whisk through the fast-food drive-through for burgers and
fries, and microwave just about anything we can get our hands
on. But how many of us take the time to eat enough whole grain
foods?
Whole grains are exactly that: foods that contain the entire
kernel or grain oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, whole wheat
pasta, rye bread, puffed rice cakes... the list goes on and
on. Familiarizing yourself with this list is important, and
making sure that you include whole grains in your daily diet
is even more important.
Hereıs why: A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
followed more than 75,000 women for 10 years as part of the
Nurses Health Study. During that time, the researchers administered
food-frequency questionnaires at two-year intervals, and documented
all cases of coronary heart disease (CHD) as they occurred.
Results showed that women who consumed higher amounts of
whole grains had a decreased risk of developing CHD compared
with women who consumed lower amounts. Interestingly enough,
this reduced risk could not be explained by the contribution
of any of the nutritional elements of whole grain foods (dietary
fiber, vitamin E, vitamin B-6, etc.), suggesting that this
protective effect may be attributed to whole grain intake
in general, rather than any specific aspect of whole grains.
Reference:
Liu S, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB, et al. Whole-grain consumption
and risk of coronary artery disease: results from the Nursesı
Health Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
1999: Vol. 70, pp412-419.
For additional information on womenıs health, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/women.html
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