Introduction
Whole grains are an important aspect
of a high quality diet. Consumption of
whole grains has been linked to
prevention of weight gain and
associated diseases. The USDA
recommends making half of your total
grain intake whole grain.1 The
metabolic syndrome is a clustering of
abnormalities that predicts the
development of chronic disease. These
abnormalities include high blood
pressure, large waist circumference,
low HDL-cholesterol, high blood
triglycerides, and high fasting blood
glucose.2
Nutrition Data System for Research
(NDSR) software is able to calculate
servings of whole grain based on diet
input. The USDA's MyPlate has created
a chart to determine whole grain
servings from a diet recall.3 We
compared these two methods to see
how well they correlated.
Effect of Whole Grain Consumption on
Markers of Metabolic Syndrome
Suzanne Hogan, Joanne Curran-Celentano, Jesse Stabile Morrell
Nutrition Program, Department of Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Science, UNH
Key Findings
•32% of students consume the recommended amount of whole grain servings.
•Students who met WG recommended intakes had significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels than those with very low whole grain intake.
•The USDA's MyPlate whole grain serving assessment correlated with the NDSR software's whole grain serving assessment at a value of .823.
Large Waist
Circumference
Student Whole Grain Intake
F > 88 cm
Elevated Fasting
Blood Glucose
Very Low Intake
32%
M < 40 mg/dL
Low Intake
High Blood
Pressure
Systolic > 130
Common forms
of whole grain
and refined
grain
Breads
Oatmeal
Ready-to
eat
breakfast
cereal
Pastaspaghetti,
macaroni,
noodles
Amount that
counts as 1
ounce
equivalent of
grains
Diastolic
> 85mmHg
WG: 100%
-1 regular slice
Whole wheat
2 regular slices
-1 small slice
RG: white,
= 2 ounce
French
wheat, French,
equivalents
sourdough
-½ cup cooked
-1 packet
instant
WG only
-1/3 cup dry
(regular or
quick)
WG: toasted
oat, whole
-1 cup flakes
wheat flakes
-1 ¼ cup
RG: corn flakes,
puffed
puffed rice
WG: whole
1 cup cooked =
wheat
-½ cup cooked
2 ounce
RG: enriched,
-1 ounce dry
equivalents
durum
Purpose and
Hypothesis
•Purpose: To determine if whole grain
intake related to markers of metabolic
syndrome in college students and to
compare the NDSR software's
assessment of whole grain with the
USDA's MyPlate definition of a whole
grain serving.
•Hypothesis: Students that consume
more whole grains will have better
metabolic health.
Metabolic
Elevated Serum
Triglycerides
Syndrome
> 150 mg/dL
32%
Subject Characteristics
Common
portions and
ounce
equivalents
36%
Sex
Very Low Intake
(n=24)
62% M, 38% F
Low Intake
(n=21)
33% M, 67% F
Meets Recommendation
(n=21)
52% M, 48% F
18.4
18.6
18.9
63% 1st Year,
37% 2nd Year,
4% Upperclassmen
62% 1st Year,
28% 2nd Year,
10% Upperclassmen
38% 1st Year,
48% 2nd Year,
14% Upperclassmen
Age (years)
Class
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
145
125
105
82.2
80.2
Triglycerides (mg/dL)
82.7
106.3
85
91.2
88.6
Low Intake
Meets Dietary
Recommendation
65
45
Very Low Intake
Low Intake
140
HDL (mg/dL)
80
Very Low Intake
Meets Dietary
Recommendation
130
70
Systolic Blood Pressure
(mmHg)
120
60
50
110
50.7
54.2
50.6
90
30
80
Low Intake
Meets Dietary
Recommendation
112.7
115
100
40
Very Low Intake
118.2
Very Low Intake
Low Intake
Meets Dietary
Recommendation
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
87.7
*
85.7
80.5
Low Intake
•Students were placed into three
groups based on whole grain
consumption. 1= very low whole grain
intake with less than 25% of their grain
intake being whole grain. 2= low whole
grain intake with 25-50% of their grain
intake being whole grain. 3= meets
dietary recommendations with greater
than 50% of their grain intake being
whole grain.
•USDA servings of whole grain were
calculated for each diet using the
"What counts as an ounce equivalent
of grains?" chart and compared to
NDSR servings of whole grain using a
Pearson Correlation test.
•Students, aged 18-24, from a Fall
2012 introductory nutrition course
were recruited via the CHANAS study.
Fasting Blood Glucose
(mg/dL)
Very Low Intake
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
•Anthropometric and biochemical data
were collected by trained research
assistants.
Participants
Metabolic Parameters According to Level of Whole Grain Intake
Iliac Crest Waist
Circumference (cm)
• Self-reported 3 day diet records
analyzed by Diet Analysis Plus were
entered into NDSR software to
calculate whole grain servings.
F < 50 mg/dL
> 100 mg/dL
Meets Dietary
Recommendation
USDA Whole Grain
Guide
Low HDL Cholesterol
Levels
M > 102 cm
Methods
Meets Dietary
Recommendation
Diastolic Blood Pressure
(mmHg)
•CHANAS is the College Health and
Nutrition Assessment Survey, an on
going cross-sectional study which
collects
anthropometric
data,
biochemical data, physical activity
assessment and dietary intake from
students at the University of New
Hampshire (n=66, 50% female).
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the CHANAS study
for providing data.
References
72.5
70.1
71.1
1.Dietary Guidelines Health.gov
2.Grundy SM et al. Circulation. 2004.
3.USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov
Contact
Very Low Intake
Low Intake
Meets Dietary
Recommendation
Suzanne M. Hogan
[email protected]