Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability of both men and women in the United States. There is strong epidemiological and clinical evidence linking consumption of whole grains to a reduced risk for coronary heart disease. Morris et al (10) followed 337 subjects for 10 to 20 years and concluded that a reduction in heart disease risk was attributable to a higher intake of cereal fiber, while indicating soluble sources such as pectin and guar did not account for the lower coronary heart disease (CHD).
Brown et al concluded that soluble fiber from different fiber sources was associated with small but significant decreases in total cholesterol. Other compounds in grains, including antioxidants, phytic acid, lectins, phenolic compounds, amylase inhibitors, and saponins, have all been shown to alter risk factors for CHD. It is likely that the combination of compounds in grains, rather than any one component, explains its protective effects in CHD.
Large, prospective epidemiological studies have found a moderately strong association between whole-grain intake and decreased CHD risk. Postmenopausal women (n=34,492), age 55 to 69 years and without CHD, were followed in the large, prospective Iowa Women’s Health Study for occurrence of CHD mortality (n=387) between baseline (1986) and 1994(4).
Whole-grain intake was determined by 7 items in a 127-item food frequency questionnaire that was used to divide participants into quintiles based on mean intake of whole-grain servings per day. The risk reduction in higher whole-grain intake quintiles was assessed (controlling for more than 15 confounding variables), and was not explained by adjustment for dietary fiber intake. This suggests that whole-grain components other than dietary fiber may reduce risk for CHD.
