NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Cutting calories helps people lose

weight, but doing so by filling up on whole grains may be particularly

heart-healthy, new research suggests.

In a study of obese adults at risk of heart disease, researchers

found that those who trimmed calories and increased their whole-grain

intake shed more belly fat and lowered their blood levels of C-

reactive protein or CRP.

CRP is a marker of chronic, low-level inflammation in the blood

vessels, and both abdominal fat and CRP, in excess, are linked to heart

attack and stroke.

In contrast, dieters in the study who mainly ate refined grains,

like white bread, were able to lose weight, but they trimmed less fat

from the middle and showed no change in CRP.

The findings offer yet more incentive for Americans to opt for whole

grains over highly processed versions, according to the researchers.

“This is the first clinical study to prove that a diet rich in whole

grains can lead to weight loss and reduce the risk of several chronic

diseases,” Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, the senior researcher on the study,

said in a statement.

She and her colleagues at Pennsylvania State University report the findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In general, experts recommend eating whole grains — such as

oatmeal, brown rice and barley — rather than refined grains, like

white bread and other products made from white flour. Whole-grain foods

retain more of the nutrients and fiber components of the grain.

This fact might explain why dieters in the current study showed

added benefits when they ate whole grains, according to the

researchers. For example, fiber-rich foods may have kept participants’

blood sugar levels more stable throughout the day, and this, in turn,

may have lowered their CRP levels.

Alternatively, CRP might have dropped because of the antioxidant

nutrients that are present in whole grains but depleted in refined ones.

The study included 50 obese men and women who had metabolic

syndrome, a collection of several risk factors for diabetes, heart

disease and stroke — such as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure

and high blood sugar.

All of the study participants cut calories for 12 weeks, but half

were instructed to strive for whole grains, while the rest were told to

choose refined grains. The whole-grain group was told to look for

products with “whole grain” listed as the first ingredient on the label.

In the end, the average weight loss was about 8 to 11 pounds in both

groups. However, the average CRP level dropped by 38 percent in the

whole-grain group, while remaining unchanged in the refined-grain

group. In addition, while both groups showed a similar change in

waistline size, the whole-grain dieters showed a greater reduction in

the percentage of fat around the middle.

The researchers recommend that consumers look at labels and be careful to choose products that are good sources of whole grain.

“There are a lot of foods around that claim they contain whole grain

but are not really major sources of whole grain,” Kris-Etherton said.

She suggested looking for foods like oatmeal, breakfast cereals made

from whole grains, whole-wheat pastas, granola and popcorn.

As a general rule, she said, consumers should buy grain products

that are at least 51 percent whole grain. Products that put health

claims about whole grains on their labels are required to contain at

least that much whole grain.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2008.