Australian scientist says wholegrains help to prevent heart
disease
CANBERRA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A healthy diet with the
recommended intake of wholegrains could be as potent at combating
heart disease as medication, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) revealed on Tuesday.
Chief research scientist with CSIRO Food Futures National
Research Flagship, David Topping said eating wholegrains, such as
those found in cereal and bread, was known to reduce the risk of a
range of ill health and serious disease.
"Published research shows eating two to four serves of wholegrain
foods a day can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 40
percent - equal to the effect of cholesterol lowering drugs,"
Topping said in a statement.
"There's also consistent evidence that a diet rich in wholegrain
foods could play a role in weight management, lowering blood
pressure, reducing the risk of some cancers, and slowing or even
stopping the progression of diabetes."
Topping said these accounted for most of the nation's major
causes of death and disability and with health problems on such a
scale "prevention, not cure, is the preferred option".
His comments coincide with the release of a research report,
compiled by the industry body GoGrains, which also said Australians
eat about half the daily recommended amount of wholegrains.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
(CSIRO) is the national government body for scientific research in
Australia.
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