What are the benefits of wholegrain cereals?

Recent large-scale epidemiological studies have shown that regular consumption of wholegrain cereals can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and certain cancers by up to 30 per cent. It is no surprise therefore that current scientific opinion believes that eating more wholegrain foods could help improve health.

For centuries, cereals like wheat, rice, maize, oats and rye have been the mainstay of the diet. Nowadays the majority of grain foods are eaten in the refined form. This means that the germ and the bran have been removed by milling, leaving the starchy endosperm, which is ground to produce white flours.

Milling and refining result in significant losses of nutrients and other protective substances present in the highest amounts in the germ and bran. Nutrients found in wholegrains include vitamin E, the vitamin B complex, and minerals such as selenium, zinc, copper, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. In addition to these vitamins and minerals wholegrains contain protein, complex carbohydrates and protective substances such as lignans (plant phytoestrogens with reported health-promoting properties against heart disease and cancer). All of these nutrients appear to work together as a "package" to help promote health and protect against disease, in particular coronary heart disease and colon cancer.

The protective effects of wholegrains against cancers, especially colon cancer is due to the high level of fermentable carbohydrates, which are transformed by the intestinal flora into short-chain fatty acids.

A reasonable intake of foods containing wholegrain cereals like wholegrain bread and breakfast cereals, brown rice and crackers should be included as part of a well-balanced diet.