Milling & Baking News - November 12, 2013 - 37

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In sprawling literature review, Gaesser
finds research favors grains intake
LAS VEGAS - Even as grain-based
foods are subjected to an ever increasing level of scrutiny over alleged
connections with chronic disease, research studies on the subject are far
more likely to generate favorable findings or messages about grains and carbohydrates than negative conclusions.
The preponderance of positives in
scientific research was discovered in
an exhaustive literature review conducted by a team led by Glenn Gaesser, chairman of the Scientific Advisory
Board of the Grain Foods Foundation.
In a presentation Oct. 8 during the International Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas, Dr. Gaesser offered
a preview of findings in a soon-to-be
published literature review.
Additionally, the review into studies exploring the connection between
carbohydrates/grain intake and many
diseases showed far more favorable
conclusions and messages about carbohydrates for every one of the diseases reviewed, Dr. Gaesser, a professor at Arizona State University, said.
Offering background on the project,
Dr. Gaesser said it has been nearly 10
years since the Grain Foods Foundation conducted a review of the scientific literature looking at the healthfulness of grain-based foods. Such reviews are useful, he said, in ensuring
the messaging of the G.F.F. is consistent with scientific research.
In the review, Dr. Gaesser and a research team looked at peer-reviewed
full-length articles published since
2010. In addition to using comprehensive on-line search tools such as
PubMed, the group also looked for
studies within the top 40 journals in
each of 11 different areas of science/
medicine, including journals dealing
with medicine, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatrics,
immunology, neurology, pediatrics,
vascular, nutrition and public health.
"We tried to identify as many potential articles as we could," he said.
Even more to the point, the literature review looked at the association
between grains intake and 13 different
diseases/health conditions or other
categories such as cardiology, neuroloty and celiac disease.
In the literature review, the team overseen by Dr. Gaesser determined whether
the message or findings in the relevant
studies were favorable, unfavorable or
neutral toward intake of grain-based
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foods. Dr. Gaesser is a professor at Arizona State University and director of its
Exercise and Wellness Program.
The breadth of conditions covered
reflects the growing number of "battle
fronts" in which grain-based foods have
been subjected to criticism. While the
connection between cardiovascular disease and grains intake has been studied

Nutrition and Health

contrast, the studies looking at non-celiac gluten sensitivity in subjects did not
find avoiding gluten consistently generated positive health results. Instead,
the studies tended to be either neutral
to the benefits of gluten avoidance or in
other cases challenged whether eliminating gluten was a positive.
"It questioned whether a gluten-free
diet was something that needed to be
done," Dr. Gaesser said of several studies. "There have been recent articles
suggesting it may not be gluten. People

'Nearly half of all articles retrieved focused on the
major chronic diseases... and cancer, and the primary
findings were uniformly favorable for consumption of
"carbohydrates, grains and fiber."'
- Glenn Gaesser, Grain Foods Foundation

for decades, interest in issues such as inflammation, cognitive health and metabolic syndrome is more recent. In particular, the recent publication of "Grain
Brain," a book blaming grains intake for
a variety of cognitive problems, including Alzheimer's disease, represents a
new challenge for grain-based foods.
All told the literature review yielded
1,227 scientific papers with as many
as 200 studies over certain subjects
(cardiovascular disease and cancer).
At least 20 studies were examined for
each of the conditions reviewed.
"What we ended up doing is taking
a look at the primary outcome," Dr.
Gaesser said. "So for cardiovascular
disease it might be coronary heart disease or peripheral vascular disease or
blood pressure or lipids."
A finding that whole grains are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease would be marked as "favorable." If intake of grains was associated with heightened risk of a disease,
it would be marked as "unfavorable."
The ratio of favorable to unfavorable findings was impressive, Dr.
Gaesser said.
"Nearly half of all articles retrieved
focused on the major chronic diseases
facing our country today - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer,
and the primary findings were uniformly favorable for consumption of
'carbohydrates, grains and fiber' with
'favorable' findings in 299 cases (72%)
outnumbering 'unfavorable' in 50
(12%) findings by six to one."
In the case of celiac disease, the
scientific studies reviewed affirmed
the importance of gluten avoidance
for individuals who have been accurately diagnosed with the disease. By

who were self-proclaimed gluten sensitive responded well to a diet to which
gluten had been added. So it probably
isn't the gluten for a number of individuals who claim to be gluten sensitive. "
In neurology, 48% of studies exploring the association of neurological
conditions and grain-based foods intake generated favorable conclusions.
"This is in direct opposition to the
claims of the current 'Grain Brain'
book," Dr. Gaesser said.
He noted a 27% unfavorable proportion was higher than in most other
categories.
"Most of the unfavorable in this and
other categories were related to what
researchers called refined grains," Dr.
Gaesser said. "There was nothing negative about whole grains, which are
criticized in 'Grain Brain.'"
More generally, the literature review serves as an indictment of the
selective research cited by authors of
grain-bashing books, Dr. Gaesser said.
"I should point out that 'Grain
Brain' was just published. 'Wheat Belly' just a couple years ago," he said. "I
looked at their reference lists, and not
a single (favorable) article appeared
in our literature review, which I find
very interesting - how we can have
this split. None of them that show a
favorable conclusion toward grains
or carbohydrates seem to be cited by
Perlmutter or Davis in their book."
Summarizing his findings, Dr. Gaesser said the literature review should allow the G.F.F. to publish data underscoring the importance of grain-based
foods in a healthy lifestyle, generate
additional opportunities for future research and "inform" future policy efforts. MBN
Milling & Baking News November 12, 2013 / 37

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Milling & Baking News - November 12, 2013

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