Whole Grain Consumption and Inflammatory Markers: A Systematic Literature Review of Randomized Control Trials

Whole grain foods are rich in nutrients, dietary fibre, a range of antioxidants, and phytochemicals, and may have potential to act in an anti-inflammatory manner, which could help impact chronic disease risk. This systematic literature review aimed to examine the specific effects of whole grains on selected inflammatory markers from human clinical trials in adults. As per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) protocol, the online databases MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, and Scopus were searched from inception through to 31 August 2021. Randomized control trials (RCTs) ≥ 4 weeks in duration, reporting ≥1 of the following: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), were included. A total of 31 RCTs were included, of which 16 studies recruited overweight/obese individuals, 12 had pre-existing conditions, two were in a healthy population, and one study included participants with prostate cancer. Of these 31 RCTs, three included studies with two intervention arms. A total of 32 individual studies measured CRP (10/32 were significant), 18 individual studies measured IL-6 (2/18 were significant), and 13 individual studies measured TNF (5/13 were significant). Most often, the overweight/obese population and those with pre-existing conditions showed significant reductions in inflammatory markers, mainly CRP (34% of studies). Overall, consumption of whole grain foods had a significant effect in reducing at least one inflammatory marker as demonstrated in 12/31 RCTs.

Effect of Oat-Based Ingredients on the Quality of Pastry Products

Introduction. Whole grain products can prevent some chronic diseases. Oats and oat-based foods are rich in beta-glucan, which makes them a perfect ingredient for functional foods. The present research objective was to introduce oat-based ingredients into the formulation of sugar cookies and study the quality of the finished product. Study objects and methods. The study involved various formulations of sugar cookies with different proportions of oat meal and composite flour. Sensory, physicochemical, rheological, structural, and mechanical properties were determined according to standard methods. Results and discussion. The mass shares of protein, fat, and dietary fiber increased together with the share of oat meal: protein – 11.9–12.5%, fat – 2.3–3.7%, dietary fiber – 4.1–4.5%. The swelling rates were 3.41–4.60, which was higher than in the wheat flour sample (2.94). Oat meal increased the viscosity of the model suspensions from 50 to 500 Pa·s The sample with the biggest share of oat meal had the greatest strength (1700 g). The water absorption also increased (193%): it was 220 when the share of oat meal was 20% and 221% when it was 30%. Oat meal decreased the water activity from 0.360 to 0.290 as its concentration grew. Conclusion. The optimal amount of oat meal was 30% and that of oatmeal flakes – 10% of the flour amount. The research also defined the effect of oat meal and oat flakes on the composite flour blend, model dough, and sugar cookes. The article introduces a new commercial formulation of sugar biscuits.

Effect of Gamma-irradiation on the Physicochemical, Functional, and Antioxidant Properties of Unpigmented Brown Whole Rice Flour

Whole grain brown rice, being a rich source of fiber and other bioactive compounds like polyphenols is effective in reducing the risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases, hypercholesterolemia and Type II diabetes. The study was aimed to evaluate the effect of gamma irradiation on the physicochemical, functional and antioxidant properties of whole grain brown rice flour. The brown rice flour was conditioned to two different moisture contents of 10% and 12% and treated with gamma irradiation doses of 0 kGy (native or control), 2.5 kGy and 5 kGy. Moisture, protein, fat, ash and carbohydrate content of native flour was found as 10 g/100 g, 6.54 g/100 g, 1.54 g/100 g, 1.0 g/100 g, and 81.48 g/100 g, respectively. The hunter color ‘L’, ‘a’, and ‘b’ values of the native brown rice flour sample were found as 81.95, −0.97 and 17.36, respectively and were non-significantly ( p ≥ 0.05) affected by gamma irradiation. Apparent amylose content was observed to decrease significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) from 29.97 to 20.30 g/100 g with the increase in gamma irradiation dose and moisture content. The pasting properties such as peak viscosity, trough viscosity and final viscosity of all the flour samples decreased significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) with the increase in irradiation dose. The functional properties such as water and oil absorption and emulsion capacities were increased while emulsion stability and foaming stability decreased upon irradiation. Irradiation led to an overall increase in the antioxidant activity of rice flours. In general, FTIR spectra revealed a decrease in the absorption intensities of the functional groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that gamma irradiation can be used as a tool to modify the physicochemical properties of rice flours as well as to improve their antioxidant properties.

An Overview of Alkylresorcinols Biological Properties and Effects

The investigation of alkylresorcinols has drawn an increasing interest recently. Alkylresorcinols (ARs) are natural chemical compounds synthesized by bacteria, fungi, sponges, and higher plants, possessing a lipophilic polyphenol structures and a myriad of biological properties. Human takes ARs as a component of a whole grain diet (from whole grain rye, wheat, and barley products), and thus, alkylresorcinols are frequently used as whole grain intake markers. Besides, ARs are considered as promising bioregulators of metabolic and immune processes, as well as adjuvant therapeutic agents for antimicrobial and anticancer treatment. In this review, we attempted to systematize the accumulated information concerning ARs origin, metabolism, biological properties, and their effect on human health.

Changes in food habits amongst Norwegian adolescents in 2016 and 2019 according to gender and socioeconomic status

Background: Monitoring dietary habits is important in order to identify risk groups and as a basis for targeted public health initiatives. Objective: To study trends in consumption of selected foods and beverages from 2016 to 2019 amongst Norwegian adolescents according to gender and parental education. Design: Repeated cross-sectional study amongst 25,996 adolescents, aged 14–17 years old. Consumption of selected food and beverages was measured by an online food frequency questionnaire and general linear models were applied to estimate changes in dietary habits. Results: Between 2016 and 2019, we observed a reduced frequency of consumption of vegetables (from 4.7 to 4.4 times/week), fruit and berries (from 4.4 to 4.2 times/week), whole-grain bread (from 5.1 to 4.2 times/week), and fish (from 2.3 to 1.6 times/week). During this time period, we also observed a reduced frequency of consumption of salty snacks (from 2.1 to 1.9 times/week), sweets (from 2.3 to 2.0 times/week), sugar-sweetened beverages (from 2.8 to 2.6 times/week), and artificially sweetened beverages (from 2.2 to 1.5 times/week). In girls, there was a decrease in the reported frequency of consumption of fruit and berries (−4%, vs. no change in boys). The decrease in consumption frequency of whole-grain bread was larger in girls than in boys (−19% vs. −14%). Further, a 17% decrease in consumption of sweets was observed amongst adolescents with no or only one parent having college/university education compared to a 13% decrease in adolescents whose both parents had college/university education. Conclusion: Our results showed a decrease in frequency of consumption of selected healthy and unhealthy food and beverages amongst adolescents between 2016 and 2019. The gender gap in consumption of fruit and berries and whole-grain bread seemed to decrease during this time period, and the socio-economic gap in consumption of sweets seemed to disappear.

Consensus, Global Definitions of Whole Grain as a Food Ingredient and of Whole-Grain Foods Presented on Behalf of the Whole Grain Initiative

Proposed global definitions of whole grain as an ingredient and whole grain food are presented by the authors on behalf of the Whole Grain Initiative. Whole grains are an important pillar of healthy and sustainable diets. Internationally accepted credible definitions of whole grains as food ingredients and whole-grain foods are necessary to ensure that all global stakeholders have shared standards, and that consumers find them clear, credible, and useful. Based on widely accepted, existing definitions and new developments, the Definitions Working Group of the global Whole Grain Initiative, with experts from academia, government agencies and industry, developed definitions for global application. The key statements of the definition documents are as follows: “Whole grains shall consist of the intact, ground, cracked, flaked or otherwise processed kernel after the removal of inedible parts such as the hull and husk; all anatomical components, including the endosperm, germ, and bran must be present in the same relative proportions as in the intact kernel” and “A whole-grain food shall contain at least 50% whole-grain ingredients based on dry weight. Foods containing 25–50% whole-grain ingredients based on dry weight, may make a front-of-pack claim on the presence of whole grain but cannot be designated ‘whole grain’ in the product name”. The definition documents have been ratified by the leading international scientific associations in this area. We urge that these consensus Whole Grain Initiative definitions be adopted as the basis for definitions used by national regulatory authorities and for health promotion organisations worldwide to use in nutrition education and food labelling.

Role of Whole Grain Consumption in Glycaemic Control of Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Observational studies have indicated beneficial effects of whole grain consumption on human health. However, no evidence based on randomized controlled trials has been established. Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the effects of whole grain consumption in glycaemic control of diabetic patients. Methods: A comprehensive search in four databases (Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and Cochrane library) was conducted to collect potential articles which measured the roles of whole grain consumption on glycaemic control up to October 2021. Results: A total of 16 eligible trials involving 1068 subjects were identified to evaluate the pooled effect. The overall results indicated that compared with the control group, whole grain intake presented a significantly reduced concentration in fast plasma glucose (WMD = −0.51mmol/L, 95% CI: −0.73, −0.28; = 88.6%, p < 0.001), a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (WMD = −0.39μU × mol/L2, 95% CI: −0.73, −0.04; = 58.4%, p = 0.014), and glycosylated haemoglobin (WMD = −0.56%, 95% CI: −0.88, −0.25, = 88.5%, p < 0.001), while no significant difference was observed in fast plasma insulin level between groups (SMD = −0.05, 95% CI: −0.25, 0.14; = 40.7%, p = 0.120). In terms of incremental area under the curve (iAUC), data suggested that whole grain effected a significant decrease in Glucose-iAUC (WMD = −233.09 min × mmol/L, 95% CI: −451.62, −14.57; = 96.1%, p < 0.001) and Insulin-iAUC (SMD = −4.80, 95% CI: −8.36, −1.23; = 89.9%, p = 0.002), although only in a small number of studies. Of note, there is evidence for modest unexplained heterogeneity in the present meta-analysis. Conclusion: Whole grain consumption confers a beneficial effect on glucose metabolism in patients with diabetes. Regrettably, since relevant studies were scarce, we failed to provide confident evidence of whole grain consumption on acute effects including Glucose-iAUC and Insulin-iAUC, which should be addressed in further trials.