Whole Grains May Help Control Weight

I’m a big fan of including more whole grains in your diet—these nutty, whole plant foods are linked with a multitude of health benefits according to hundreds of studies. And a new study found that substituting whole grains for refined grains, which have half the dietary fiber of whole grains, appears to speed up metabolism and lessen the number of calories absorbed, researchers found. Researchers closely controlled the caloric intake of participants—81 men and women aged 40-65—so they would not lose weight during the study. Participants were then randomly assigned either a refined-grain or whole-grain diet for six weeks. The whole-grain group absorbed fewer calories and had a higher resting metabolic rate. The energy deficit between those eating whole-grain versus refined-grain eaters is about the calories one would burn during a 20-30 minute walk. These results don’t prove that whole grains lead to weight loss, but further research may.

(American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, February 2017) Read the full study here.

Image: Sorghum Berry Breakfast Bowl features whole grain sorghum, Sharon Palmer, RDN