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  • Original Article
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Carbohydrates, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus

Wholegrain rye, but not wholegrain wheat, lowers body weight and fat mass compared with refined wheat: a 6-week randomized study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 71, pages 959–967 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Observational studies suggest inverse associations between wholegrain intake and body weight gain. Only few controlled intervention studies have supported this association and few compare effects of different grain varieties.

Objective:

To investigate how wholegrain wheat (WGW) and rye compared with refined wheat (RW) affect body weight and composition and appetite sensation.

Design:

Seventy overweight/obese adults participated in this 6-week randomized parallel study, in which they replaced their habitual cereal foods with RW, WGW or wholegrain rye (WGR). Further, a 4 h postprandial test meal challenge was completed with meals corresponding to diet allocation in the beginning and after the intervention. Body weight and composition, fasted blood samples, compliance and 4-day dietary intake were obtained before and after the intervention period. Appetite and breath hydrogen excretion was assessed during the postprandial test meal challenge.

Results:

Diet allocation affected body weight significantly (P=0.013) and tended also to affect fat mass (P=0.065). Both body weight and fat mass decreased more in the WGR group (−1.06±1.60 and −0.75±1.29 kg, respectively) compared with the RW group (+0.15±1.28 and −0.04±0.82 kg, respectively; P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Further, the decrease in fat mass in the WGR group tended to exceed that in the WGW group (P=0.07). Overall, no effect of diet on appetite sensation was observed; however, energy intake from study products was ~200 kcal lower in the WGR group when compared with that in the RW group (P<0.05), although total energy intake did not differ between groups.

Conclusions:

Our results support a role for WGR foods in body weight regulation, when provided ad libitum. The effect may be mediated by satiation reflected in a reduction in energy intake, mainly from the wholegrain products without compensation in other parts of the diets, despite no difference in appetite.

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Acknowledgements

From the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Kira Hamann and Mona Pedersen are acknowledged for their assistance with preparation and delivery of the study products. M Kristensen and S Vuholm designed the study. Experimental work was carried out by SV, JS and KNI. JS and SV analyzed the data and prepared the first draft of the manuscript. All authors discussed the results, have commented on and approved the contents and conclusions of the manuscript. None of the authors have conflicts of interest to report. MK was supported by a larger grant named GUT, GRAIN & GREENS (3G)—Center for Gut Microbiota, Metabolic Disorders and Grain/Fiber-based Diets funded by the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education (Grant no. 11-116163, Food and Health). The study was funded by the Lantmännen Research Foundation. The trial is registered at: www.clinicaltrial.gov (NCT02358122).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    J Suhr, S Vuholm, K N Iversen & M Kristensen

  2. Department of Food Science, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Denmark

    R Landberg

  3. Unit of Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    R Landberg

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Correspondence to M Kristensen.

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Suhr, J., Vuholm, S., Iversen, K. et al. Wholegrain rye, but not wholegrain wheat, lowers body weight and fat mass compared with refined wheat: a 6-week randomized study. Eur J Clin Nutr 71, 959–967 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2017.12

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