{"id":2000126153,"date":"2026-09-17T15:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T13:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000126153"},"modified":"2026-09-17T14:15:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T12:15:46","slug":"study-links-whole-grain-intake-to-improved-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/study-links-whole-grain-intake-to-improved-heart-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Study links whole-grain intake to improved heart health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A large analysis of 87 clinical trials found that consuming around four to six servings of whole grains a day may provide meaningful improvements in cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research, led by Dr. Helda Tutunchi of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran, brought together evidence from more than 6,500 participants in studies conducted across Asia, Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers examined how different levels of whole-grain consumption affected factors associated with cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings showed that people who consumed more whole grains generally experienced improvements in several areas. These included lower body weight, smaller waist circumference and reduced blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers also found improvements in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose. Some markers of inflammation, including interleukin-6, also decreased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the analysis, benefits could already be seen when people consumed about 30 to 40 grams of whole grains per day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the strongest overall effects were generally associated with approximately 60 to 100 grams per day, equivalent to around four to six servings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foods such as oatmeal, whole-grain bread and brown rice can contribute to this intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers explain that whole grains may support heart health by producing several small improvements at the same time rather than dramatically changing one particular risk factor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their effects on cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, body weight and inflammation could collectively contribute to better cardiovascular health over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whole grains are different from refined grains because they retain the bran, germ and endosperm of the grain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These parts contain important nutrients and dietary fibre that can be lost during refining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the researchers caution that the findings should be interpreted carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the clinical trials lasted only about eight weeks, meaning it is not yet clear whether the observed benefits continue over many years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The studies also measured cardiovascular risk factors rather than directly recording heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research provides further evidence that replacing refined grain foods with minimally processed whole grains may be a simple way to improve several markers associated with heart health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer-term research will still be needed to determine whether these improvements ultimately lead to fewer cases of cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
New research suggests that eating whole grains regularly may help support heart health by improving blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body weight and inflammation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eating more whole grains could help improve several important factors linked to heart health, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000126155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000126153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":2000122457,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-12.00.00-PM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 12.00.00 PM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":2000122457,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-12.00.00-PM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 12.00.00 PM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000126155,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/fresh-baked-bread-wood-cutting-board.webp","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/webp","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/fresh-baked-bread-wood-cutting-board.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/fresh-baked-bread-wood-cutting-board.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/fresh-baked-bread-wood-cutting-board.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/fresh-baked-bread-wood-cutting-board.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/fresh-baked-bread-wood-cutting-board.webp","width":1920,"height":1080}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000126153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000126153"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000126153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000126250,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000126153\/revisions\/2000126250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000126155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000126153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000126153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000126153"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000126153"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000126153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}