The secret to a long and healthy life? Eating CEREAL: Diet high in grains 'reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes'

  • Eating an average of 34g (1.2 ounces) of whole grains a day was associated with a 17 per cent reduced risk of premature death, study found
  •  And a high consumption of cereal fibres had a 15 per cent and 34 per cent reduced risk of death from cancer and diabetes
By ANNA HODGEKISS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:00 EST, 24 March 2015 | UPDATED: 19:46 EST, 24 March 2015
Starting the day with a bowl of cereal or porridge could add years to your life, scientists claim.
A diet high in whole grains and cereal fibres reduces the risk of premature death from chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.
Whole grains are the entire seed of a plant used for food and contain the germ, bran and endospore, such as wheat, oat and quinoa.
They are rich sources of dietary fibre and other nutrients such as minerals and antioxidants.
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Health benefits: Whole grains are the entire seed of a plant used for food and contains the germ, bran and endospore, such as wheat, oat (pictured) and quinoa
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Health benefits: Whole grains are the entire seed of a plant used for food and contains the germ, bran and endospore, such as wheat, oat (pictured) and quinoa
The Harvard Public School of Health research found eating an average of 34g (1.2 ounces) of whole grains a day was associated with a 17 per cent reduced risk of premature death.
This was compared with  compared to those consuming an average of 3.98g (0.13 ounces).
Even when taking into account factors such as health, physical activity and obesity the reduction remained the same. 
The researchers also assessed the risk of getting various conditions.
A diet high in whole grains was associated with an 11 per cent reduced risk of death from respiratory disease, and a 48 per cent reduction in the risk of diabetes.
The findings, published in the journal BMC Medicine, suggest that the cereal fibre component of whole grains accounts for the actions of the whole grains, and that cereal fibre-rich whole grain foods may have health benefits.
But because it was an observational study, researchers could not confirm that whole grains and fibre are causing this reduced risk.
However they believe the cereal fibre found in both food types - cereal fibre and whole grains - may have protective effects thanks to multiple protective properties such as anti-inflammation.
Protection: A high consumption of cereal fibres had a 15 per cent and 34 per cent reduced risk of death from cancer and diabetes, say the Harvard researchers 
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Protection: A high consumption of cereal fibres had a 15 per cent and 34 per cent reduced risk of death from cancer and diabetes, say the Harvard researchers 
Associate Professor of Nutrition, Dr Lu Qi, said: 'Our study indicates that intake of whole grains and cereal fibre may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality and death from chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease.'
The study involved involved an analysis of the the results of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.
This involved 500,000 members of AARP - a membership organisation of people aged over 50 from California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, and the metropolitan areas of Georgia and Detroit.
In 1993, volunteers were sent a questionnaire to gather information on their health and diet - based on frequency of intake for various food types including portion size.
Those who indicated in their initial questionnaires that they had cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes or end-stage renal disease were excluded from the study.
This meant a total of 367,442 participants were included in this particular research and were followed for an average of 14 years. 

 

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The best use for porridge is as wallpaper paste.
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No thanks - life only seems longer when you chew your way through a bowl of soggy saw dust. I reckon the cardboard boxes they come in must taste better
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Ridiculous. Cereal is one of the main offenders in a bad diet.
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Sponsored by Kellogs?
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Hooray, love Quaker Oats and banana, glad to hear its not all bad for me!!
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Who writes this crap? Aside from oats/porridge, 99% of breakfast cereals are diabetes-in-a-bowl. ie, just sugar carbs, coated in sugar.
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Porridge is the only cereal worth eating. The rest will do you more harm than good.
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This propaganda infomercial is proof that the cereal-pushers are running scared that so many people are adopting a pre-agricultural ancestral diet.
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I have porridge ,usually followed by egg & bacon and a fried slice. Seventy six years of age,and still climb mountains.
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To eat or not to eat,that is the question?
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