PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study finds refined corn flour with added corn bran can lower cholesterol

Impacts to the gut microbiota were examined as part of the cross-over clinical trial

Study finds refined corn flour with added corn bran can lower cholesterol
2024-08-06
(Press-News.org) The findings of the randomized crossover clinical trial, available online now and slated to appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Nutrition, reveal simply swapping in foods made from refined corn flour + corn bran can lower LDL cholesterol concentrations by anywhere from 5% - 13.3% in just four weeks.

The trial compared the impact of whole-grain corn meal, refined corn meal, and a blend (refined corn meal plus corn bran) and found that 70% of the participants saw significant reductions in LDL cholesterol concentrations when consuming the blend. For the other corn flours, participants did not see a decrease in their LDL or total cholesterol levels, nor did they see an increase.

“People often think that dietary changes must be robust and significant to have a real impact on cardiovascular health and metabolic regulation,” said Corrie Whisner, PhD, lead researcher and Associate Professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. “The bottom-line is this: corn is unique and underappreciated. The art and science of refining grains and making full use of corn bran can result in delicious foods that, in this case, also happen to produce real results for heart health.”

Dr. Whisner noted that the team intentionally centered the study around avoiding dramatic dietary changes to create a realistic intervention that could be easily folded into a regular diet. Researchers provided study participants with baked goods in order to control type and quantity of corn flour, and study participants did not increase or decrease their grain food intake during the study. These baked goods were developed by a master baker familiar with food formulation techniques and specialty ingredients used in foods commonly found in the grocery store. Their goal in this design was to ensure the study findings would illustrate how practical it can be to regularly incorporate foods made with corn bran-enriched flour as part of a heart-healthy diet pattern. 

Surprisingly, the findings did not reveal significant or consistent changes to gut microbiota diversity, which aligns with the fact that study participants reported no digestive discomforts or changes during the interventions. Two genera, unclassified Lachnospiraceae and Agathobaculum, differed significantly by treatment, and while an increase was seen in Agathobaculum (a common bacterium in the gut microbiota) during the whole-grain corn meal phase, that change was not seen in the other two phases.

“The increase in Agathobaculum could be due to the greater diversity of polyphenols found in whole grain corn, which has the highest antioxidant capacity (compared to wheat, oats, and rice), but the study did not analyze this possibility,” said Whisner. “Nevertheless, while the influence of whole grains on the microbiota varies from person-to-person, some universals are generally known fibers in whole grains can be fermented by microbes into butyrate, and both fiber and butyrate are frequently associated with a healthy gut. These findings support that understanding.

The 36 study participants were all located in Phoenix, AZ, and spanned in age from 18-67. They included a mix of women (~58%) and men, all entered the study with mild-to-moderately elevated LDL cholesterol levels, and none were taking cholesterol-lowering medications during the study. Over the course of the study, the participants individually cycled through each food intervention for four weeks (with a minimum of a two-week washout period in between interventions to return to baseline) to more evenly assess the impacts of each intervention.

The newly released study in the Journal of Nutrition can be found online here. It was led by a team of researchers at Arizona State University, with funding from the Corn Division of the North American Millers’ Association (NAMA). NAMA did not provide any oversight over the study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, nor writing and revising the manuscript for publication.

NAMA is a member of the Grain Foods Foundation, an organization promoting grain-based foods and nutrition through peer-reviewed science, experts in clinical and research nutrition, and a science-based, grains-positive communications program. For more information about the Foundation, research findings, and grain foods’ role in a healthful diet, visit www.GrainFoodsFoundation.org.  

About Grain Foods Foundation
Formed in 2004, Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) is committed to science-based, grains-positive programming, bringing a drumbeat of communications about the role of grain foods in a well-balanced eating pattern. GFF provides a comprehensive communications framework, conference participation, webinars, fact-based digital tools, and a robust voice on social media for GFF investors and the entire spectrum of health influencers. GFF is funded by grain foods manufacturers, flour millers, and members of the allied trades. For more information about the Grain Foods Foundation, visit www.grainfoodsfoundation.org.

 

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Study finds refined corn flour with added corn bran can lower cholesterol

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Carvings at ancient monument may be world’s oldest calendar

Carvings at ancient monument may be world’s oldest calendar
2024-08-06
Markings on a stone pillar at a 12,000 year-old archaeological site in Turkey likely represent the world’s oldest solar calendar, created as a memorial to a devastating comet strike, experts suggest. The markings at Göbekli Tepe in southern Turkey – an ancient complex of temple-like enclosures adorned with intricately carved symbols – could record an astronomical event that triggered a key shift in human civilisation, researchers say.  The research suggests ancient people were able to record their observations of the sun, moon and constellations in ...

Sport or snack? How our brain decides

2024-08-06
In brief: The chemical messenger orexin and the orexin neurons in the brain mediate the decision between exercise and snacking. Researchers at ETH Zurich made this discovery in mice. The results are likely to be transferable to humans. In the experiment, mice with a blocked orexin system opted more frequently for the milkshake offered them and less for exercise. These results could help in researching and developing new strategies to promote physical activity in people. Should I go and exercise, or would I rather go to the café ...

A new way of thinking about the economy could help protect the Amazon, and help its people thrive

2024-08-06
To protect the Amazon and support the wellbeing of its people, its economy needs to shift from environmentally harmful production to a model built around the diversity of indigenous and rural communities, and standing forests. A group of conservationists from Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, the US and the UK say that current conservation and development efforts will never sustain or scale without systemic changes in how economies are designed. Despite extensive destruction of the Amazon in the name of economic development, Amazonian communities have seen little improvement in income, life expectancy, and education. The researchers have ...

Controlling lipid levels with less side effects possible with new drug

Controlling lipid levels with less side effects possible with new drug
2024-08-06
Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan have made a significant breakthrough in treating lipid disorders. They have developed a new compound, ZTA-261, which selectively binds to the thyroid hormone receptor beta (THRβ). THRβ plays an important role in the regulation of lipid metabolism, which affects lipid levels in the blood. Mice administered the drug showed decreased lipid levels in the liver and blood, with fewer side effects in the liver, heart, and bones compared to existing compounds. These findings, published in Communications Medicine, suggest that ZTA-261 ...

Research spotlight: Analyzing the effectiveness of heart therapies and outcomes for patients with chip

2024-08-06
Nicholas A. Marston, MD, MPH, of the TIMI Study Group and Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the corresponding author of a paper published in Nature Medicine, “Clonal hematopoiesis, cardiovascular events and treatment benefit in 63,700 individuals from five TIMI randomized trials.” How would you summarize your study for a lay audience? Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is a condition that promotes the multiplication of blood stem cells in the body and increases the ...

Soft gold enables connections between nerves and electronics

Soft gold enables connections between nerves and electronics
2024-08-06
Gold does not readily lend itself to being turned into long, thin threads. But researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have now managed to create gold nanowires and develop soft electrodes that can be connected to the nervous system. The electrodes are soft as nerves, stretchable and electrically conductive, and are projected to last for a long time in the body.   Some people have a “heart of gold”, so why not “nerves of gold”? In the future, it may be possible to use this precious metal in soft interfaces to connect electronics to the nervous system for medical ...

The race to discover biodiversity: 11 new marine species and a new platform for rapid species description

The race to discover biodiversity: 11 new marine species and a new platform for rapid species description
2024-08-06
Accelerating global change continues to threaten Earth’s vast biodiversity, including in the oceans, which remain largely unexplored. To date, only a small fraction of an estimated two million total living marine species have been named and described. A major challenge is the time it takes to scientifically describe and publish a new species, which is a crucial step in studying and protecting these species. The current scientific and publishing landscape often results in decade-long delays (20-40 years) from the discovery of a new species to its official description. As an ...

18th Annual Q-Bio Conference: Global scholars explore new Frontiers in quantitative biology

18th Annual Q-Bio Conference: Global scholars explore new Frontiers in quantitative biology
2024-08-06
The 18th Q-Bio Conference on Quantitative Biology was held at the Guangming Yungu International Conference Center in Shenzhen from July 26 to 29, 2024. Organized by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology (iSynBio), and Peking University, the conference drew over 230 global researchers from countries including the U.S., U.K., France, India, Japan, Chile, and China. Themed "Predictive Modeling and Quantitative Principles in Complex Biological Systems," the event explored future prospects in quantitative and synthetic biology. Under ...

Eating more fruits & vegetables to reduce dietary acid lowers blood pressure and improves kidney and heart health in patients with hypertension

2024-08-06
Philadelphia, August 6, 2024 – Doctors recommend making fruits and vegetables a foundational part of the treatment of patients with hypertension. Diets high in fruits and vegetables are found to lower blood pressure, reduce cardiovascular risk, and improve kidney health due to their base-producing effects. A new study in The American Journal of Medicine, published by Elsevier, details the findings from a five-year interventional randomized control trial. Despite ongoing efforts to improve hypertension treatment and reduce its adverse outcomes with pharmacological strategies, hypertension-related chronic kidney disease and its cardiovascular mortality are increasing. Heart disease ...

Rising toll of serious injuries linked to expanded Mexico-US border wall crossing

2024-08-06
The expansion of the Mexico-US border wall crossing has been accompanied by a rising toll of serious injuries, with poor discharge care and a lack of appropriate interpreting facilities adding up to a “humanitarian and health crisis,” suggest researchers in the open access journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open. Thirty eight different nationalities and 21 languages other than Spanish were represented among those attempting to cross one segment of the wall in 2021 and 2022, say the researchers. The Mexico-US border wall was extended by 50 miles and raised to a height of 30 feet in Southern California, construction ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] Study finds refined corn flour with added corn bran can lower cholesterol
Impacts to the gut microbiota were examined as part of the cross-over clinical trial