Whole grains ‘lower a type of harmful body fat’

People who eat lots of whole grains have less of a type of body fat that is thought to trigger heart disease and type 2 diabetes, a study has suggested.

Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Researcher Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University in the US found that people who chose to eat mostly whole grains instead of refined grains had lower volumes of visceral adipose tissue (VAT).

"VAT volume was approximately ten per cent lower in adults who reported eating three or more daily servings of whole grains and who limited their intake of refined grains to less than one serving per day," said the study's first author Dr Nicola McKeown, a scientist with the nutritional epidemiology programme at the USDA HNRCA.

Earlier this month, food scientists at Florida State University found that watermelon can also cut people's risk of developing heart problems, as it reduces high blood pressure, which is a big contributor to cardiovascular disease.

Are you going to switch to whole grain instead of white bread and other refined grains?