Are ancient grains really better for you? |
Are ancient grains better for you? The surprising truth about quinoa and spelt
Is the hype around the health benefits of ancient grains justified? Scientists say its not as clear-cut as you might think.
Ancient grains are those that have barely changed for hundreds of years. Unlike commonly farmed crops like wheat, which humans have selectively bred over millennia, ancient grains have maintained genetic properties from their wild ancestors. And today they enjoying something of a resurgence in popularity.
They're linked to many health claims, including that they contain more nutrients than their modern counterparts.
But are they really any better than more modern grains, which have been shaped and moulded by agricultural practices since the Stone Age?
Grains – like rice, wheat, oats and corn – make up a substantial part of our global diet. We get a lot of our fibre and carbohydrates from grains, as well as some protein.
It's recommended that at least half of the grains we consume be wholegrains. These are grains that haven’t been ground down and refined in a mill, so they still contain all three of their raw components: the bran, the endosperm and germ, which are rich in vitamins and polyphenols, including protein, vitamin B, iron and fibre.
Wholegrain pasta, for instance, has a distinctive, earthier taste – as well as more fibre, antioxidants and vitamins compared to refined pasta.
Refined grains, on the other hand, have been processed (often milled), and their original structure lost. Along the way, they've also lost some fibre and nutrients.
"Grains are refined for taste and properties regarding baking," says Rilla Tammi, a researcher in nutritional epidemiology at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, in Finland. "Refining is also linked to a longer shelf life."
This is because the bran and germ, which are typically removed in refining, contain fatty acids that shorten the shelf life.
Diets replete with wholegrains, however, are associated with a lower risk of numerous diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Research also shows a link between regularly eating wholegrains and experiencing lower blood pressure. In one 2020 review of 17 studies, researchers found that a diet high in wholegrains was linked to lower risk of colorectal, colon, gastric, pancreatic, and oesophageal cancers.
Still, these findings are to be taken with a pinch of salt. The population data on this is often confounded, because those who eat wholegrains tend to have many other healthy habits, says Julie Miller Jones, professor emerita of foods and nutrition at St. Catherine University in Minnesota, in the US.
One Finnish study, for example, analysed the eating habits and health of more than 5,000 adults. The scientists found that those who ate more wholegrains tended to have a healthier diet overall, consisting of more fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk and fish, and less red and processed meat.
A growing body of nutritional research is now suggesting there is a distinction between "modern" grains that make up most of our diets and far less common "ancient grains". Many of both can be consumed as whole or refined grains, but modern grains are those bred over time through agricultural practices to select for offspring with desirable traits such as increased yield or superior taste.
The wheat and maize that we eat today have all been crossbred over millennia. Corn originates from a wild grass called teosinte, native to Mexico, with small seeds rather than large........