By: Alissa Hartley

Fiber in whole wheat

• decreases the density of calories in food. (Because fiber does not provide calories, by definition, it is like diluting the amount of calories in a given volume.)
• increases the bulk of the food consumed and takes a little longer to chew. This helps to make the individual feel as if he or she has consumed a larger volume and improves the chance for the individual to feel full before consuming too many calories.
• causes the body to absorb fewer calories.
• can absorb some cholesterol, allowing it to pass it through without being digested.
• decreases the glucose (sugar) and the insulin release. Note: Less glucose in the blood means less needs to be stored in the cells.

Fiber also

• increases the production of protective short chain fatty acids in the colon.
• increases the ratio of beneficial bacteria.
• causes the stomach to empty more slowly (slower is better!), and delay nutrient absorption. Slower absorption results in less resulting hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This is especially helpful to those who have reactive hypoglycemia – often described as a ‘crash’ after consuming sweets. (Those who test their blood sugar know that this can happen.)
• increases the sensitivity of the cells to insulin.

Fiber in true whole wheat leads to being satisfactorily full (being satiated) more easily while consuming fewer calories. This leads to maintaining a lower body weight over time.

Reference: Karen Nachay, Food Technology p.25, February 2008

Source: Kavanagh, K, et al. Transfat diet induces abdominal obesity and changes in insulin sensitivity in monkeys.  Obesity. 2007 Jul;15(7):1675-84

“This study provides the first known evidence that dietary fiber is independently associated with better lung function and reduced prevalence of COPD,” wrote lead author Haidong Kan from National Institutes of Health. Since this is the first study finding the association between fiber and COPD, other studies will be done.

COPD mainly affects smokers (90% of COPD patients), and is the number five cause of death worldwide. It is characterized by chronic inflammation in the small airways of the lung. There is no cure.

The study involved 11,897 American men and women.

Consumption of insoluble fiber has previously been associated with a reduced risk of obesity and diabetes, but the biological mechanism underlying the benefits has only been assumed.

American Journal of Epidemiology. “Dietary Fiber, Lung Function, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study” Authors: H. Kan, J. Stevens, G. Heiss, K.M. Rose, S.J. London (at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). 12/07.

The reduced risk was identified among adults who ate two or more servings of whole grains each day compared with those who ate less than one serving a day.

In addition, a 35 percent reduction in risk among individuals who ate the highest amount of fiber (26.5 grams per day or more) compared with those who ate the least (15.6 grams per day or less).

“There is a possibility that diet can affect one’s risk of pancreatic, as well as other cancers,” Chan told Reuters Health, “and that eating a diet rich in a wide variety of grains is likely to not only help in the prevention of diabetes and heart disease, but also this very deadly cancer.”

The researchers looked at grain intake among 532 people with pancreatic cancer and 1,701 people without pancreatic cancer among the San Francisco Bay area population. Overall, the results of the study suggest that eating more whole grains may protect against pancreatic cancer.

“The risk reductions associated with some whole grain foods and fiber provide general support for the hypothesis that whole grains are better than more refined and sweetened grains for pancreatic cancer prevention,” Chan said.

American Journal of Epidemiology, June M. Chan, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. November 15, 2007.

Tony Cenicola of the New York Times asked, is there “More than just vitamins? Is there more to a carrot than beta carotene? Is lycopene the best we get from tomatoes? And when we heap our plates with salmon, are we serving up something other than omega-3s?”

Dr. Grandma points to this article as a concise answer to many questions. The article discusses the fact that the scientific community frequently studies a single nutrient in a food as the best that food has to offer. Mr. Cenicola makes the point that a number of studies have produced disappointing results. There’s a growing belief that food is more than just a sum of its nutrient parts along with growing evidence to support that belief.

Cenicola’s report turns to thoughts from University of Minnesota professor of epidemiology, David R. Jacobs, whose commentary was published in Nutrition Reviews. Jacobs argues that researchers should return to the study of whole foods rather than single nutrients. Jacobs suggests that ‘food synergy,’ the notion that the health benefits of certain foods aren’t likely to come from a single nutrient but rather combinations of compounds that work better together than apart. “Every food is much more complicated than any drug,’’ said Dr. Jacobs. “It makes sense to want to break it down. But you get a lot of people talking in the popular press about carbohydrates and fats in particular as if they were unified entities. They’re not. They’re extremely complicated.’’

For as long as observational studies have shown that diets rich in fruits and vegetables, unsaturated fat and fish, among other things, are associated with better health, nutrition researchers have been busily deconstructing these foods to identify the most potent nutrients.

When people ask Dr. Jacobs what vitamin they should take, he says, “Don’t take any. Just make sure you have a nutrient-rich diet.”

In addition, it was found that those who ate the most whole grains were less likely to be overweight or obese than those who ate the least amount of whole grains.

Although the researchers do not know the mechanism of weight gain prevention, they propose that because whole grains contribute to satiety, that is they help people to be satisfied with a ‘full’ feeling. One of the suggested mechanisms is that, people may be less likely to eat fatty snacks or larger meals because of the satiety factor.

Another suggestion is that since whole grains are digested more slowly, that may be why they cause lower glucose and insulin responses–fats may be burned for energy, rather than stored in the body.

Most interesting is that, for part of their study, they used bread made with processed flour and with added bran. They did NOT see the benefits for this bread and found the glycemic response to be similar to that of white bread. This is more evidence that there is something in the whole grain (the entire grain – bran, germ and endosperm) that offers positive health benefits.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition September 26 2007;10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602895

Note: Dr. Grandma’s uses only 100% organic whole hard red spring wheat.

Journal of Food Science: A. Bakke, Z. Vickers. 2007.