Plant lignans have been proposed to be one key player behind the inverse association between wholegrain consumption and the development of chronic Western-style diseases, including cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Rye contains high amounts of lignans, which are concentrated to the bran. In a recently published study, Danish researchers found that treatment of rye bran with cell-wall degrading enzymes resulted in a four times higher concentration of certain plant lignans in the blood of pigs. This may contribute to the enhancement of the beneficial effects of wholegrains on human health. Read more here
A few days ago, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer research Fund (WCRF) published an updated report on diet, nutrition, physical activity and colorectal cancer. As a result of an increasing number of studies on wholegrain foods and cancer, this was the first time that wholegrain foods were independently linked to a lower colorectal cancer risk in the AICR/WCRF report. A reduction by 17 percent was found from eating approximately three servings of wholegrain daily.
Read more on AICR’s website here.
The full report can be found here.
During six weeks, the effect of wholegrain rye and wholegrain wheat products on body weight, body composition and appetite was investigated by Nordic researchers in a recently published study. The results revealed a higher weight loss and a tendency towards a higher loss in fat mass after consumption of products of wholegrain rye than wholegrain wheat, when compared to consumption of refined wheat products. Read more here