It might. Eating more whole-grain foods on a regular basis might help reduce your chance of developing high blood pressure (hypertension).
Whole grains are grains that include the entire grain kernel — they haven't had their bran and germ removed by refining. Whole-grain foods are a rich source of healthy nutrients, including fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron and selenium. Eating more whole-grain foods offers many health benefits that can work together to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure by:
- Aiding in weight control, since whole-grain foods can make you feel full longer
- Increasing your intake of potassium, which is linked to lower blood pressure
- Decreasing your risk of insulin resistance
- Reducing damage to your blood vessels
If you already have high blood pressure, eating more whole-grain foods might help lower your blood pressure.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean diet both recommend including whole grains as part of a healthy diet.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as part of an overall healthy diet, adults should eat at least 85 grams of whole-grain foods a day — that's about 3 ounces, or the equivalent of three slices of whole-wheat bread.
Show References
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- Widmer RJ, et al. Mediterranean diet, its components, and cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of Medicine. In press. Accessed March 2, 2015.
- Flint AJ, et al. Whole grains and incident hypertension in men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009;90:493.
- Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm. Accessed March 3, 2015.
- Tighe P, et al. Effects of increased consumption of whole-grain foods on blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk markers in healthy middle-aged persons: A randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2010;92:733.
- Your guide to lowering blood pressure with DASH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf. Accessed March 6, 2015.
- Kelly SAM, et al. Whole grain cereals for the primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005051.pub3/full. Accessed Jan. 25, 2018.
- McRae MP. Health benefits of dietary whole grains: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. 2017;16:10.
Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/whole-grain-foods/FAQ-20058417