What happens to your body, blood pressure and blood sugar if you replace white bread with wholemeal one

What effects does the daily intake of wholemeal bread have on our body, on blood sugar levels and on blood pressure?

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The replacement of white bread with the whole grain bread does it involve changes in our organism? A new study tells us yes. Research published in the academic Journal of Nutrition examined how the daily intake of Whole grains affect five risk factors for developing heart disease:

weight changes,
blood pressure,
glycemia,
triglyceride levels,
HDL cholesterol levels (the "good" cholesterol).

Let's see what the results have been. (Also Read: Whole Grains: The Unexpected Benefits on Blood Sugar and Insulin Discovered by a New Study)

The impact of whole grains on the body

The researchers wanted to examine the health impact associated with daily consumption of whole grains by evaluating data from more than 3.100 patients over 50 over an 18-year period. The parameters used were the changes observed in the five risk factors mentioned above depending on the portion of whole grains taken daily, which could range from half a portion per day up to three or more portions. The recommended portion of whole grains, in fact, is three servings per day, which can be taken for example by consuming 1 slice of wholemeal bread, half a cup of oat flakes or half a cup of brown rice.

I results have shown that:

taking the 3 recommended servings of whole grains a day, weight changes are less than if you don't eat enough;
the increases in blood sugar levels and blood pressure were greater in patients who ate fewer whole grains;
a lower intake of whole grains led to an increase in the patient's waistline but also to a greater average drop in triglyceride levels.

There are several reasons why whole grains can help maintain ideal weight and counteract the onset of heart disease. The presence of dietary fibers in whole grains, in fact, it can have a satiating effect and the magnesium, potassium and antioxidants they can help lower blood pressure. Fiber, in particular, can have a beneficial effect on post-prandial blood sugar spikes.

Study participants were able to consume the recommended amounts of whole grains largely thanks to whole grain bread and whole grains for breakfast, we can therefore follow a similar strategy also in our personal diet.

Fonte: Journal of Nutrition

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