Time to Eat Rye Crackers? Whole Grains and Prediabetes

More whole-grain good news, this time from Sweden. Over 5,500 Swedish residents tracked and measured their intake of whole and refined grains. Ten years later, those who ate more than 59 g (about 2 ounces) of whole grains per day were 27% less likely to becomeprediabetic than those who ate 30 g or less.

The average American eats 15 g of whole grain daily, with fewer than 3% getting the recommended 48 g per day. What’s more, the definition of whole grain differs between the U.S. and Sweden. In the U.S., food manufacturers can label foods as whole grain if they contain just 8 g of whole grains per serving; in Sweden, products must be at least 50% whole grain to receive the label.

The report was published online by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.o45583).