Eating four to six servings of whole grains each day may offer the greatest benefits for heart health<\/a>, lowering body weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, a large meta-analysis published in the European Heart Journal found.<\/p>\n The analysis reviewed data from 87 randomized trials involving more than 6,500 people across Asia, Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and Brazil.\u00a0<\/p>\n MAN SAYS MEAT-ONLY ‘LION DIET’ CLEARED PSORIASIS COVERING 90% OF HIS BODY, ENDED DECADES OF DEPRESSION<\/a><\/p>\n It found that many of the greatest benefits occurred when people ate about 60 to 100 grams of whole grains daily \u2014 about what you would get from a bowl of oatmeal, two slices of whole-grain bread and a serving of brown rice, according to the researchers.<\/p>\n “This is the largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on whole-grain intake and cardiovascular risk factors,” lead author Helda Tutunchi, of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran, said in a statement.<\/p>\n A new study suggests eating more whole grains each day may improve heart health and several other cardiovascular risk factors. (iStock)<\/p>\n People who consumed more whole grains had lower body weight<\/a>, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose and levels of interleukin-6, an inflammatory marker, the study also found.<\/p>\n One key finding, Tutunchi noted, was that whole grains appeared to boost heart health through “several modest improvements acting together, rather than through one large effect on a single factor.”<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/a><\/p>\n The researchers cautioned, however, that most of the studies they looked at were short and did not measure heart attacks or strokes<\/a> directly. Longer-term research is still needed, they said.<\/p>\n Whole grains such as oats, brown rice and whole-grain bread may help lower cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. (iStock)<\/p>\n Four to six servings of whole grains is more than the two to four servings the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend \u2014 and many Americans don’t even hit that, said Lauren Manaker, a South Carolina-based registered dietitian nutritionist.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n “Going from zero to six is a lot,” Manaker, who wasn’t involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “My recommendation is to start slow. Two servings is better than zero servings.”<\/p>\n Simple swaps can include starting the day with oatmeal<\/a> or overnight oats, or replacing refined grains with whole-grain sides such as sorghum or brown rice, she said.<\/p>\n Researchers found the greatest health benefits among people who consumed about four to six servings of whole grains per day. (iStock)<\/p>\n Consumers should also be careful not to assume every brown-colored loaf at the supermarket is whole grain, Manaker added.<\/p>\n “We want to look at the ingredient list and make sure one of the first ingredients is a whole grain,” she said. “We also want to look at the nutrition panel<\/a> and make sure there’s some fiber in there.”<\/p>\n![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/oats-fiber-benefits.png\")
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