New Findings About Whole Grains and Heart Health Presented by Nestlé

A previous study by Nestlé scientists found that some wholegrain cereal products are excellent sources of betaine. They now have strong evidence showing that the betaine levels in whole grains influence circulating levels in the blood.

12 May 2010 --- Scientists from the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, presented at the HealthGrain (http://lund2010.healthgrain.org/) conference in Lund, Sweden, new findings which confirm that a diet rich in whole grains can be beneficial for heart health.

In the study, 17 healthy subjects received either a wholegrain-rich diet or a diet with refined (white flour-based) grains for two weeks. Results showed that even after such a short intervention, the wholegrain-rich diet tended to lower subjects’ total and LDL cholesterol levels compared to the diet rich in refined grains. Additionally, the wholegrain diet increased plasma betaine, a molecule associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Gut health indicators, including regularity, were also improved in subjects that ate wholegrains.

Enriching the study meals with appetizing whole grains was no problem for researchers, thanks to the availability of a wide variety of wholegrain foods such as LEAN CUISINE frozen meals with wholegrain pasta, BUITONI wholegrain pasta, the wholegrain cereals SHREDDIES and CHEERIOS, porridge, cereal bars, risotto and bread.

Subjects were pre-screened for the trial using a Food Frequency Questionnaire developed by Nestlé researchers to especially assess wholegrain intake. A first-of-its-kind tool in the field of wholegrain research, the questionnaire gives a rapid and accurate assessment of wholegrain cereal intake. Nutritional metabonomics, a holistic research approach to link nutrition, metabolism, and health outcomes, was used to study the effect of wholegrain foods on human metabolism.

“This was a short-term trial, but it indicates that there may be a real effect of wholegrain foods on cardiovascular disease risk, even in healthy subjects,” said Dr. Alastair Ross, Nestlé scientist leading the study. “This is the first study to find that a wholegrain diet increases plasma betaine, which may indicate another mechanism by which whole grains could impact cardiovascular disease risk.”

A previous study by Nestlé scientists found that some wholegrain cereal products are excellent sources of betaine. They now have strong evidence showing that the betaine levels in whole grains influence circulating levels in the blood.

These findings will be further explored by Nestlé scientists in a follow-up trial with a larger number of subjects assessed over a longer time period.