Whole-grain hope

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 2004

A diet rich in whole grains appears to lessen the risk of type 2 (or adult onset) diabetes, according to Tufts University research published in the February 2004 issue of the scientific journal Diabetes Care. In a study of 2,800 adults, participants who ate three or more servings of whole grains each day were less likely to develop insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, the clustering of risk factors that often precedes type 2 diabetes, which affects 16 million Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Symptoms of metabolic syndrome include abdominal obesity, low levels of HDL (or "good" cholesterol), high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high levels of blood triglycerides.