Cheaper than Blood Pressure Meds and Just as Good?

People have talked about the healthful effects of whole-grain foods, so Scottish researchers decided to try to quantify the benefits in patients with high blood pressure.   The results of their study are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.     

Over 200 middle-aged healthy volunteers were enrolled.  After 4 weeks on a refined diet, they were randomly allocated to take a control refined-grain diet, a wheat–containing diet, or a wheat-plus-oats containing diet, for 12 weeks.  In the two whole grain diets, the subjects ate portions of either wheat or wheat-plus-oats food 3 times a day.  Cardiovascular markers that were measured at enrollment and after 12 weeks included: blood pressure, blood lipid levels, inflammatory markers (e.g. CRP), and insulin sensitivity.

The only changes produced by the whole-grain diets were a slight but significant reduction of cholesterol levels in the refined-grain control group, and reduced systolic blood pressure in the whole-grain groups.  The chief investigator stated: “We observed a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 5-6 mm Hg in the volunteers who ate the whole-grain foods, and this effect is similar to that you might expect to get from using blood pressure-lowering drugs”.

In some ways, this study yields excellent results for the Scots.  Porridge is a dish traditionally associated with Scotland; it’s made of oats cooked in either milk or water, and served with salt or sugar and milk.  The whole grain diet would be easy for true Scots to follow, and especially attractive if their rumored frugality is true; porridge oats are so much cheaper than almost any antihypertensive. . .