\n The secret is out: Eating whole grains is good for you.\n <\/p>\n
\n Extensive research<\/a> in the past two decades has shown that a diet rich in whole grains is associated with lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes and helps people maintain a healthy weight<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n In a new analysis, researchers reviewed dozens of studies to drill down on how whole grains contribute to cardiovascular and metabolic health at a molecular level \u2014 and how much you have to eat to make a difference.\n <\/p>\n \n The results, published Tuesday in the European Heart Journal<\/a>, suggest that the benefits start at about 90 grams, or three servings, per day \u2014 about as much as you\u2019d get from two slices of whole wheat bread and a bowl of oatmeal. Eating four to six servings per day is even more powerful, according to the study.\n <\/p>\n \n The researchers found evidence that people who ate three to six servings of whole grains for a prescribed period of time \u2014 as little as two weeks and up to two years \u2014 had slightly improved levels of about a dozen markers of health, including total cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein or \u201cbad\u201d) cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight and waist circumference, all of which are associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. Though the effects were small, taken together, the findings back up what large population studies have found, said Dagfinn Aune, a coauthor on the meta-analysis.\n <\/p>\n \n Therefore, there is \u201clikely a causal effect\u201d from eating whole grains, and \u201cthis may translate into a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease,\u201d Aune, a research fellow in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Imperial College London\u2019s School of Public Health, concluded.\n <\/p>\n \n But that doesn\u2019t mean you can add two pieces of whole wheat toast to your morning bacon and eggs and expect to improve your heart health.\n <\/p>\n \n Doctors recommend choosing whole grains over products made with refined grains for heart health.\n <\/p>\n \n Whole grain foods \u2014 such as oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, farro, popcorn and quinoa \u2014 include all the parts of a grain as it exists in nature. Refined grains (think white rice and anything made with white flour) are processed to remove the less palatable parts, which are also where most of the fiber<\/a> and other nutrients are found.\n <\/p>\n \n Eating whole grain food is important, but a single dietary swap is not going to prevent heart disease, Alice Lichtenstein, a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIf you eat a cinnamon bun made of whole grain, as opposed to a cinnamon bun made with refined grain, I\u2019m not sure you\u2019re going to see a benefit,\u201d said Lichtenstein, who was not involved in the new meta-analysis.\n <\/p>\n \n And just adding more carbs to your diet to achieve a whole grain target could lead to weight gain, she added.\n <\/p>\n \n Most people in the United States don\u2019t eat the two to four servings of whole grains a day suggested in the federal government\u2019s latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans<\/a>. A serving could be a single slice of whole wheat bread, or half a cup of cooked oats, brown rice or quinoa.\n <\/p>\n \n The American Heart Association recommends<\/a> eating foods made with whole grains, but it doesn\u2019t specify a target amount to aim for each day. That\u2019s because there\u2019s no one amount that\u2019s clearly most effective or that is right for every person\u2019s body, genetics and lifestyle, said Lichtenstein, who was lead author of the nonprofit\u2019s dietary guidelines published in March. Rather than nail down a magic-bullet number of any particular good-for-you food, \u201cwe\u2019re trying to keep the focus on the dietary pattern.\u201d\n <\/p>\n