Eating Bread Made Of Ancient Grains Could Lower The Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease

A study reveals that eating bread made with ancient grains could help reduce the risk factors for the cardiovascular disease. It actually lowers the cholesterol and the blood glucose levels, which are the leading risk factors for stroke and heart disease.

The study was printed in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. It does not prove that ancient grains could inhibit cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, it shows in evidence that the ancient grain varieties could lessen the risk factors for the said disease, according to Medical News Today.

The ancient grains include millet, quinoa, teff, sorghum, chia seeds, amaranth, spelt, farro and Kamut. The have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Chris Chapman, a nutrition project officer from the Grains, Legumes and Nutrition Council said that ancient grains contain lots of essential vitamins, particularly vitamin B, minerals such as potassium and magnesium, iron and fibers. He further said that they're nutritionally similar to grains but they have got a little more bit more, which is unique and that is part of their popularity.

The research, which is a randomized crossover trial, involved 45 healthy adults with average age 50. The researchers asked them to replace their usual loaf of bread made from ancient and modern grains for 8 weeks. In the first phase, 22 participants were assigned to consume bread made from ancient grain Verna, which was organically cultivated and 23 participants for bread that were conventionally cultivated. Then, they were asked to eat bread made with two different ancient grain varieties namely the Gentil Rosso and Autonomia B. They are both conventionally cultivated. The team also took blood samples of the participants at the beginning of the study. This was to examine and determine the cholesterol, lipid and glucose levels and other cardiovascular measures of the participants at the end of the study.

The results showed that the total cholesterol and the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), which is the harmful cholesterol, were lessened after 2 months. The levels of the blood glucose also reduced after eating bread from ancient grains whether organically or conventionally cultivated. There was also a substantial increase in circulating endothelial progenitor cells that restore the damaged blood vessels after consuming bread made from ancient grain Verna. There were no differences in CVD measures after eating bread made from modern grains.