The research review entitled a: Review of the dietary, health and environmental status of whole grain cereals examines two fundamental questions: Are grain products good or bad for health, and is there any evidence of health benefits to support the rise in popularity of gluten and wheat-free diets amongst non-gluten intolerant consumers?
The researchers, led by Senior Research Fellow Rob Lillywhite at the University of Warwick's Warwick Crop Centre in its School of Life Sciences say the answer to the first question is clear -- Dr Lillywhite says:
"Apart from the two percent of the population who suffer from coeliac disease or other sensitivities or intolerance to wheat, there is overwhelming evidence of clear health benefits of a whole grain based diets featuring store cupboard staples such as bread and cereal made from lightly processed wheat. The benefits are increased where whole grains have undergone relatively little processing.
"The evidence to suggest that consumption of whole grain wheat, which contains a higher proportion (or amount) of dietary fibre compared to oats, products is good for individuals is overwhelmingly positive and consumption of whole grain will increase both health and help to maintain a healthy body weight."
"Other than for the 2% of the population with a specific gluten or wheat intolerance, the scientific evidence behind many of the most popular wheat and carbohydrate free diets turns out to be surprisingly thin and selectively used. Some will result in a short-term reduction in body weight but the same result could be achieved in the long-term by eating less of higher quality or relatively unprocessed foods. The low carbohydrate diet has now generated its own industry and new product development in the 'free-from' sector means that a typical low cereal and carbohydrate diet may cost most people more yet deliver less."
"The argument is sometimes advanced that humans were not designed to eat certain food types. This is erroneous as humans were not designed for anything but evolved to their environment and adapted to the available food. The success of Homo sapiens is testament to that adaptive ability. Humans consume food products now such as cereals and dairy products, in vast quantities, that would have been unrecognisable to Stone Age hunter-gatherers and the very fact that so few people are immune or sensitive to them is demonstration of that adaptive ability."
"Whole grain products are undoubtedly good for health and given their multiple beneficial aspects could easily be described as a super food. It might be possible to argue that they are superior to many other fruit and vegetable super foods since they have multiple modes of action and provide http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/ both short- and long-term health benefits."
The research review also finds that:
Evidence from other countries suggests that economic growth and increased individual wealth results in greater levels of gastrointestinal issues which may be derived from consumption of greater levels of all highly processed products. In contrast, the evidence for promoting consumption of whole grains is overwhelming. Whole grains are rich in many components, including dietary fibre, starch, fat, antioxidant nutrients, minerals, vitamin, lignans and phenolic http://www.topix.com/forum/topstories/T3NSPP7TO1HV3J1EL
