The Heart Beat

From the world of dietary confusion, another gem: “diets rich in whole grains can lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease” according to a study reported on Reuters Health on February 7, 2006.

The study synopsis then reports that the analysis of diet records and blood samples of 1,000 middle-aged individuals suggests that the risk of heart disease and diabetes is lower in those who eat diets that include a large percentage of whole grains. So far so good. But then the article says, “such diets would include bran, whole wheat, fruit and vegetables.”

While I completely agree that fruits and vegetables are important parts of a healthy diet, they are not, the last I knew, considered to be whole grains. The title of the article is “Whole Grains Cut Diabetes, Heart Disease Risk – Study.” It doesn’t say whole grains plus fruits and vegetables cut risk; it says whole grains.

But wait, there is more fun to be had!

This is one of those articles that just serve to confuse the consumer, as evidenced by the rest of the content, in which the authors note that a greater intake of whole grains was associated with more physical activity, greater fruit and vegetable intake, less smoking and alcohol consumption, and intake of fewer saturated and monounsaturated fats.

Never mind that the last I knew, moderate intake of monounsaturated fats such as olive and canola oils was thought to improve blood HDL (good) cholesterol levels, but suddenly, the scientists become as puzzled as I am about their results! They hedge their bets by saying that there “appears to be” a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease associated with increased intake of whole grains, but that the “exact mechanism for how this works is unclear.” Don’t you love that line?

Let’s see, how many ways to decrease heart disease and diabetes risk can we identify in individuals who:

• exercise more
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• eat less saturated fat
• smoke and drink less

Does anyone hazard a guess that all those things might decrease their individual risk of developing heart disease and diabetes? Geez, even a lowly human with no backgound in science can state the obvious in this one folks.

This is exactly the kind of ‘fuzzy logic’ science that makes people who are trying to do the right thing shake their heads.

We all know that the things listed above will help to improve our health, but doing them all often seems overwhelming.

When we see a headline that appears to be a “pass directly to go” mechanism for decreasing health risks, we all read it with anticipation. At last! Science will help us understand just how much of what to eat and we’ll be healthier! We’ve been waiting for this definitive plan! When it turns out to be another piece of nutrition news that is a message we’ve already heard, it’s annoying at best.

At worst it makes the ‘science’ of risk management look like one more ill-defined, poorly controlled study that doesn’t really improve our prevention knowledge at all. No wonder the public shakes it collective head and beelines for their favorite fast food chain, with the attitude that they’ll have a salad with that burger and fries, and we should let them know when we figure this grain thing out.

As a sideline to this story, apparently someone has figured out that barley, like oats, has some specific health benefits. You can read about it here.

Laurie

There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.
~ Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

Related Topics: Reaping the Benefits of Whole Grains, 5 Superfoods for Your Heart

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