Milling & Baking News - July 26, 2022 - 7

TUES | 07 26 2022
Editorial
Drumbeat in defense of refined
grains more difficult to ignore
I
t's probable that no single scientific
paper would convince a Dietary Guidelines
Scientific Advisory Committee to
meaningfully revise its guidance regarding
the role of refined grains in the diet.
Efforts spearheaded by the Grain Foods
Foundation (GFF) to effect such a change
should be viewed as a marathon, rather
than a sprint. That said, a major mile
marker in this marathon appears to have
been crossed with the impending publication
of an article looking into the connection
between refined grains intake and
increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Funded by the GFF and published in the
August issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings,
the commentary by Glenn A. Gaesser,
PhD, a professor in the College of Health
Solutions at the University of Arizona,
Phoenix, and who leads the GFF's Scientific
Advisory Committee, shows scientific
data fail to support the conclusion eating
more refined grains raises the risk of T2D.
At issue is a warning in the 2020-2025
Dietary Guidelines for Americans that
" dietary patterns characterized by higher
intake of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened
foods and beverages, and
refined grains are, in and of themselves,
associated with detrimental health outcomes. "
The
2020-2025 Guidelines go on to say
the findings " build on " research that generated
a similar conclusion five years earlier
in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.
" Building on " is an apt description for
Dr. Gaesser's latest commentary. It builds
on numerous previous publications sponsored
by the GFF and aimed at demonstrating
the linkage between refined grains and
poor health is not supported by science.
A brief review shows how this positive
GFF work has steadily and meaningfully
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accumulated over the past six years, paper
by paper. The conclusion in the Guidelines
is based on measuring outcomes
for cohorts based on " dietary patterns, "
large groups of individuals whose eating
patterns match one another - in this case
consuming large amounts of meats, sweets
and refined grains. In 2016, the GFF sponsored
a study showing numerous dietary
patterns, " cluster analysis, " that included
A brief review shows how this positive GFF work has
steadily and meaningfully accumulated over the past
six years, paper by paper.
heavy intake of refined grains was linked
to better intake of shortfall nutrients.
More recently, Dr. Gaesser has criticized
the dietary pattern guidance
because it fails to parse the contributors
to the poor health outcomes. Is it the red
meat? The sweets? The refined grains? All
of the above?
In 2019, Dr. Gaesser reviewed research
that analyzed grain-based foods separately,
and not as part of a so-called
Western dietary pattern. After reviewing
11 meta-analyses of prospective cohort
studies, he found refined grain intake was
not associated with all-cause mortality,
cardiovascular disease, T2D, coronary
heart disease or obesity.
In the latest publication, Dr. Gaesser
focuses specifically on the connection
between grains and T2D. In the past, the
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
has singled out diabetes and cardiovascular
disease as linked to refined grains
intake.
For his latest research, Dr. Gaesser
reviewed 10 publications looking at nearly
400,000 individuals followed through
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observational studies. Of 11 adult cohorts
reviewed, 9 showed no statistically significant
association between higher intake of
T2D and refined grains intake, 1 showed a
higher risk and 1 showed a lower risk.
" These findings refute the commonly
held belief that refined and non-whole
grains can directly lead to T2D when
consumed, " the GFF said. " Eating refined
staple grain foods such as breads, cereals,
and pasta was not associated with T2D
risk. "
While a legitimate approach to scientific
study, dietary pattern analysis is
inferior to observational studies which, in
turn, are inferior to randomized control
trials. Reading Dr. Gaesser's commentary,
one concludes using dietary patterns
for such an important recommendation
as whether to avoid a staple food like
grains is about as effective as performing
surgery with a meat cleaver rather than
a scalpel. The DGAC appears firmly committed
to using dietary pattern analysis
for its recommendations. The GFF should
continue to build its case for why such an
approach leads to flawed guidance when it
comes to grains. MBN
Josh Sosland, Editor
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editor@sosland.com
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Milling & Baking News - July 26, 2022

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