Whole-Grains Help Artery Health, New Evidence Confirms

Eating six or more servings of whole-grain foods like brown rice or whole-wheat toast every week was associated with slower buildup of artery-narrowing plaque in women already diagnosed with this heart condition.

Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Mass., analyzed food records and artery-diameter measurements (angiograms) that were taken from 229 postmenopausal women over a 3-year period. An article in a recent issue of the American Heart Journal (volume 150, pages 94 to 101) has details.

America’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend eating at least three servings of whole-grain foods every day, but most of us eat less than a single daily serving.

Good sources of whole grains include breakfast cereals made with these grains. Other options: oatmeal, brown rice, barley, popcorn, whole-wheat bread or bagels and bran muffins.