The common health advice often includes “eating more whole grains”, but it is easy to lose sight of the composition of the diet and end up consuming less than the recommended portions. A new studio at the University of Tufts offers a good reason to reevaluate your diet and make sure you get enough portions of whole grains every day: it can help protect it from heart disease later in life.

“Whole grains” refers to grains such as wheat, oatmeal, wholemeal rice and millet that have not been refined to eliminate bran and other elements. Although refined grains are common, it is easy to condemn comprehensive grain food products in many places, often they are sold as integral bread and multi-grain, for example, in addition to these grains are often sold in bulk.

Be sure to get three or more portions of these full grains every day can help prevent risk factors leading to heart disease, according to the new study. Research involved middle-aged and higher adults using data withdrawn from the Framingham Heart Study Study Cohort. Information on 3,100 participants was used; They had an average age of “mid-50s” and were mostly white.

The researchers analyzed five risk factors for heart disease, including blood sugar levels, triglycerides, good cholesterol, blood pressure and waist size. Meanwhile, a portion of whole grains, is considered half a cup of brown rice, half a cup of rolled oatmeal, or a slice of wholemeal bread, according to the study.

Using years of data, the study found that participants who consumed at least three servings of full grains daily experienced a slower increase in the size of the waist compared to people who had a low intake of whole grains. The researchers explained changes in the size of the waist and found that despite the low admission participants still experienced a greater increase in blood pressure and sugar levels compared to those who ate more whole grains daily.