Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : October 8, 2018 9:56 AM IST
Whole grains are healthy because of betaine compounds present in them. © Shutterstock
You might have heard it one too many times why eating whole grains is good for you but probably you don t have an idea why they are touted as the storehouse of good health. Of course, they are better than your polished grains as they have the fibre in them intact. But experts believe that there are other reasons too. Various studies have confirmed that eating whole grains can benefit us in various ways. Consuming higher levels of whole grains seem to protect us against chronic diseases and reduce the risk of all-cause mortality.
There is also enough evidence that diets rich in whole grains help to reduce cardiovascular risk factors; maintain a healthy weight and much more besides. It wasn t clear for a while that why whole grains were ruling the chart of healthy foods. But for the first time, scientists at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio are getting to the bottom of the molecular mechanisms behind whole grains health benefits. Principal investigator Dr Kati Hanhineva reportedly said that whole grains are one of the healthiest foods there is. For instance, a high intake of whole grains protects against type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, the cellular mechanism through which a whole grain-rich diet impacts our body was not understood, yet.
The recent study looked at the effects of a grain-heavy diet on both mice and humans, and the new findings were published recently in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. After participants had eaten higher levels of whole grains for 12 weeks, the researchers carried out a metabolomics analysis; metabolomics is the study of chemical processes involving metabolites, which are small molecules formed by and during metabolic processes. The researchers were particularly interested in betaine, a group of compounds that has a range of biological functions. Whole grains are an important dietary source of betaine compounds, and the researchers had a hunch that they might help explain whole grains healthful benefits.
The benefits of betaine
As expected, their analysis demonstrated a significant increase in betaine compounds following the 12-week whole grain diet; this boost in levels was measured in both mice and humans. The investigators found a link between higher intake of betaine and improved glucose metabolism. In fact, there are many betaine compounds but the one that particularly interested the investigators is pipecolic acid betaine which is associated with lower post-meal glucose. In another laboratory test, the team tested certain betaine compounds on cells with 5-aminovaleric acid betaine (5-AVAB), which is known to accumulate in particularly active tissues, such as cardiac tissue. They are optimistic that the findings from this part of the study might also prove useful for cardiovascular disease research.
Now, do we need more reasons to eat whole gains wholeheartedly?
