Nestle Researchers Identify Wholegrain Shortfall Among Asian Pregnant Women

14 Sep 2015 --- A new study by Nestlé scientists has found whole grain intake among pregnant women in Singapore to be below international guidelines, potentially increasing their risk of developing gestational diabetes

Published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the research is the first comprehensive analysis of whole grain intake in an Asian population, among pregnant women. An analysis of dietary intake data from just under 1,000 women, the study showed that only 30% reported eating any whole grains at all. Even among these women, daily intake averaged just 23.6g, which is below the amount recommended by the Singapore Health Promotion Board.

Previous studies have suggested that a diet rich in whole grains compared to refined can improve glucose metabolism, reducing the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. In Singapore, rates of this condition, which can increase the chances of caesarean birth, are among the highest in the world. Refined grains are broken down much faster by the body than wholegrain, releasing the starches into the bloodstream to be broken down into simple sugars rapidly. Wholegrains are surrounded by a complex matrix of cells which need to be broken down before access to the starches is possible, making the sugar release slower and reducing the insulin spike. Because of this, wholegrains also satiate for longer.

Nestlé has stated it is committed to encouraging whole grain consumption, citing targets such as increasing the whole grain content of its breakfast cereals and promoting cooking with whole grain through its international Maggi Cooking Lesson Programme. However, simply increasing wholegrain consumption in pre-packaged foods such as cereals does not necessarily indicate a healthy finished product. Many of Nestlé’s cereals contain sugar and inverted sugar syrup as the second ingredient as well as artificial colorings such as caramel, which The National Toxicology Program, has said shows “clear evidence” of being an animal carcinogen. Similarly, Maggi has been shown to have levels of monosodium glutamate at the upper safe limit, with calls to withdraw some products after they were deemed unsafe for consumption.