Whole Grain Cereals (Photo : Reuters)
Cereals have been a part of every family's grocery list, but nobody knew that it actually prolongs life.
Over 367,000 adults aged between 50 and 71 in the United States participated in a new study. The researchers asked all the participants how frequently they consumed whole-grain foods such as cereals, pasta and bread.
The participants were then divided into five separate groups based on the quantity of whole grain foods they ate, and from how fiber they consumed from grains dubbed as "cereal fiber."
The group who ate the highest amount of whole grains were found to have decreased their chances to die within a period of 14 years by 17 percent, compared to the group who consumed the smallest amount of whole grain foods, according to Huffington Post.
Dr. Lu Qi, a co-author for the study, said that people should consume more food with whole grains and to reduce the consumption of refined carbohydrates. Qi is an associate professor of medicine at Boston's Harvard Medical School.
People with normal weight are not the only ones who benefit from eating whole grain cereals, the researchers said that sedentary and obese people can also reap the advantages.
In addition, Qi said that eating more grains actually help people lose some weight despite the popular belief that it increases intake of calories, according to Web MD.
The researchers also observed that the group who consumed the most cereal fibers had more people who were educated and less likely to smoke and be overweight, compared to the group who consumed the least.
The study, which was published in BMC Medicine, also indicates that whole grain cereal fibers lowered the chances of death from illnesses such as diabetes and lung disease.
"Foods high in fiber are predominantly protective foods high in micronutrient density, such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes," said Dr. Yunsheng Ma, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
