It makes sense that whole grains, having intact fiber and other nutrients, are better for you than their refined counterparts, which have had these naturally-occurring components removed through processing.
However, further scientific studies testing the impact of whole grains on human health will help validate this notion. For example, is it in fact true? And if so, the bigger question: how?
Nestlé Research Center, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, has donated US $500,000 to Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute to fund collaborative research investigating these questions. "We are excited by this opportunity to partner with Nestlé in addressing this significant area of research," says Paul E DiCorleto, Institute Chair. "In today's society, we have seen again and again the impact of eating choices on disease development. It's time to take a more in-depth look at how the specific grains we eat can change our physiology in specific ways."
Investigators from Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne met with lead investigator John Kirwan, PhD, of the Institute's Department of Pathobiology, and his team earlier this year to plan the study.
Over a 26-week period, 40 to 50 people will eat meals provided by Nestlé Prepared Food Company's facility in Solon, Ohio. During the first phase, one group's carbohydrates will mainly come from whole grains, whereas the other groups' carbohydrates will come primarily from refined grains. During the second phase, the two groups will switch diets. Each study participant will receive complimentary nutrition counseling, food and medical testing.
This research will be one of the largest controlled studies of its type on whole grains, where the effect of whole versus refined grain consumption on body composition and energy metabolism will be measured. This study will be the first to use advanced body composition measurement techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that are used at Cleveland Clinic. Scientists at Nestlé Research Center will use state-of-the-art metabolomic analyses to examine changes in metabolism.