Eating Mostly Whole Grains, Few Refined Grains Linked to Lower Body Fat

ScienceDaily for October 20, 2010 reported on benefits from eating more whole grains and less refined grains.

Visceral fat surrounds the intra-abdominal organs while subcutaneous fat is found just beneath the skin. "Prior research suggests visceral fat is more closely tied to the development of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors including hypertension, unhealthy cholesterol levels and insulin resistance that can develop into cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes," explains co-author Paul Jacques, DSc, director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Program at the USDA HNRCA and a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. "Not surprisingly, when we compared the relationship of both visceral fat tissue and subcutaneous fat tissue to whole and refined grain intake, we saw a more striking association with visceral fat. The association persisted after we accounted for other lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, fruit and vegetable

intake, percentage of calories from fat and physical activity."