Grains and Human Health

Women experience physical, mental, and social changes during menopause. It is important to maintain a healthy diet for effective menopause management. The effect of germinated Superjami, a deep violet colored rice cultivar, on the body weight, glucose level, antioxidant defense system, and bone metabolism in a menopausal rat model was investigated. The animals were randomly divided into three groups and fed with a normal diet (ND), a control diet supplemented with 20% (w/w) non-germinated Superjami flour (NGSF), or germinated Superjami flour (GSF) for eight weeks. The NGSF and GSF groups exhibited significantly lower body weight and fat, glucose and insulin contents, adipokine concentrations, and bone resorption biomarker levels, and higher antioxidant enzyme activities and 17-β-estradiol content than the ND group (p < 0.05). The GSF group showed greater glucose homeostasis, antioxidative, and bone metabolism-improving effects compared with the NGSF group. These findings demonstrate that germination could further improve the health-promoting properties of Superjami and that this germinated pigmented rice cultivar could be useful in the treatment and management of menopause-induced hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and bone turnover imbalance. Full article

Djulis is a cereal crop rich in polyphenols and dietary fiber that may have nutraceutical activity to prevent colon cancer. This study was designed to examine the preventive effect of djulis on colon carcinogenesis in rats treated with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). Rats were fed different AIN-93G-based diets: groups N and DMH were fed AIN-93G diet and groups LD, MD, and HD were fed AIN-93G diet containing 5, 10, and 20% djulis, respectively. All rats except for group N were injected with DMH to induce colon carcinogenesis. After 10 weeks, rats were sacrificed and colon and liver tissues were collected for analysis. The results showed that djulis-treated rats had significantly lower numbers of colonic preneoplastic lesions, aberrant crypt foci (ACF), sialomucin-producing (SIM)-ACF, and mucin-depleted foci. Djulis treatment increased superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in colon and liver. Djulis also reduced p53, Bcl-2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expressions and increased Bax and caspase-9 expressions. Besides, phenolic compounds and flavonoids were found rich in djulis. These results demonstrate the chemopreventive effect of djulis on carcinogen-induced colon carcinogenesis via regulating antioxidative and apoptotic pathways in rats. Djulis may have the potential to be developed as a valuable cereal product for chemoprevention of colon cancer. Full article

Interference of dietary fibres with the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids is proposed as a mechanism for lowering cholesterol. We investigated how lupin hull and cotyledon dietary fibres interact with primary bile acids using an in vitro model under simulated upper gastrointestinal conditions. Cell wall polysaccharides were isolated and extracted to separate pectin-like, hemicellulosic, and lignocellulosic structures. Lupin hull consisted mainly of structural components rich in cellulose. The viscosity of the in vitro digesta of lupin hull was low, showing predominantly liquid-like viscoelastic properties. On the other hand, lupin cotyledon fibre retarded bile acid release due to increased viscosity of the in vitro digesta, which was linked with high contents of pectic polymers forming an entangled network. Molecular interactions with bile acids were not measured for the hull but for the cotyledon, as follows: A total of 1.29 µmol/100 mg DM of chenodesoxycholic acids were adsorbed. Molecular interactions of cholic and chenodesoxycholic acids were evident for lignin reference material but did not account for the adsorption of the lupin cotyledon. Furthermore, none of the isolated and fractionated cell wall materials showed a significant adsorptive capacity, thus disproving a major role of lupin cell wall polysaccharides in bile acid adsorption. Full article

PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for meta-analyses that provided risk estimates (±95% confidence intervals) for associations between intakes of whole and refined grains and risk of total and site-specific cancer. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Only meta-analyses that included whole grains and refined grains as separate food groups, and not as part of dietary patterns, were included. A total of 17 publications were identified that met inclusion criteria. Within these, results from a total of 54 distinct meta-analyses were reported for whole grains and 5 meta-analyses for refined grains. For total cancer mortality, 7 meta-analyses of cohort studies indicated that whole grain intake was associated with 6% to 12% lower risk in comparison of highest vs. lowest intake groups, and 3% to 20% lower risk for doses ranging from 15 to 90 g/day. For site-specific cancers, meta-analyses indicated that whole grain intake was consistently associated with lower risks of colorectal, colon, gastric, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers. Limited data were available for refined grains, with only 4 publications providing risk estimates, and only 1 of the meta-analyses included more than 3 studies. High intake of refined grains was associated with increased risk of colon and gastric cancer. By contrast, in the only dose-response meta-analysis, each 90 g/day consumption of refined grains was associated with a 6% lower risk of total cancer. In addition to the limited number of published meta-analyses on refined grains, results were also weakened due to the fact that refined grains were frequently defined to include both staple grain foods and indulgent grain foods, and the majority of studies included in the meta-analyses provided no specific definition of refined grains. Overall, meta-analyses of cohort and case-control studies consistently demonstrate that whole grain intake is associated with lower risk of total and site-specific cancer, and support current dietary recommendations to increase whole grain consumption. By contrast, the relationship between refined grain intake and cancer risk is inconclusive. Full article

Although ancient, heritage, and modern wheat varieties appear rather similar from a nutritional point of view, having a similar gluten content and a comparable toxicity linked to their undigested gluten peptide, whenever the role of ancient end heritage wheat grains has been investigated in animal studies or in clinical trials, more anti-inflammatory effects have been associated with the older wheat varieties. This review provides a critical overview of existing data on the differential physiological responses that could be elicited in the human body by ancient and heritage grains compared to modern ones. The methodology used was that of analyzing the results of relevant studies conducted from 2010 through PubMed search, by using as keywords “ancient or heritage wheat”, “immune wheat” (protein or peptides), and immune gluten (protein or peptides). Our conclusion is that, even if we do not know exactly which molecular mechanisms are involved, ancient and heritage wheat varieties have different anti-inflammatory and antioxidant proprieties with respect to modern cultivars. It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that the health proprieties attributed to older cultivars could be related to wheat components which have positive roles in the modulation of intestinal inflammation and/or permeability. Full article

Breast cancer is one of the most common and malignant cancers among females worldwide. Several epidemiological studies have indicated the inverse correlation between the intake of whole grains and the incidence of breast cancer. Whole grains are the most fundamental and important food source of bioactive phytochemicals, which have well-defined roles in the management of each stage of breast carcinogenesis. To better understand the value of whole grains in future prevention and treatment of breast cancer, the effects and possible mechanisms of six different whole grain cereals, which are the most commonly consumed throughout the world, are introduced in the current review. Moreover, the bioactive compounds extracted from whole grains are adequately formulated and the underlying mechanism of action is illustrated. In addition, the present limitations and future perspective of whole grain consumption for breast cancer are also concluded. The objective of this review is to promote the development of nutraceutical and functional food from whole grains and its application for reducing the risk of breast cancer. Full article

Chia (Salvia hispanica) is an annual herbaceous plant, the seeds of which were consumed already thousands of years ago. Current research results indicate a high nutritive value for chia seeds and confirm their extensive health-promoting properties. Research indicates that components of chia seeds are ascribed a beneficial effect on the improvement of the blood lipid profile, through their hypotensive, hypoglycaemic, antimicrobial and immunostimulatory effects. This article provides a review of the most important information concerning the potential application of chia seeds in food production. The chemical composition of chia seeds is presented and the effect of their consumption on human health is discussed. Technological properties of chia seeds are shown and current legal regulations concerning their potential use in the food industry are presented. Full article

In the last decade, there has been an increase in the use of sprouted grains in human diet and a parallel increase in the scientific literature dealing with their nutritional traits and phytochemical contents. This review examines the physiological and biochemical changes during the germination process, and the effects on final sprout composition in terms of macro- and micro-nutrients and bioactive compounds. The main factors affecting sprout composition are taken into consideration: genotype, environmental conditions experimented by the mother plant, germination conditions. In particular, the review deepens the recent knowledge on the possible elicitation factors useful for increasing the phytochemical contents. Microbiological risks and post-harvest technologies are also evaluated, and a brief summary is given of some important in vivo studies matching with the use of grain sprouts in the diet. All the species belonging to Poaceae (Gramineae) family as well as pseudocereals species are included. Full article