Here’s another reason to eat whole grains—researchers from Harvard published a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, finding that whole grains are associated with a lower risk of death. The researchers used data from two large groups of people—from 74, 341 women who enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study (1984-2010), and from 43,744 men who took part in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2010). Here’s what the researchers concluded:

• Eating more whole grains was associated with an overall lower risk of death and a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. However, whole grains were not associated with a lower risk of death from cancer.
• Every additional serving of whole grains (28 g/day) reduced the risk generally of an early death by 5%, and by 9% for death from heart disease.
• Bran (the outer layer of the whole grain) contains antioxidants, B vitamins, and fiber, and was also associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease.
• Whole grains were associated with lower mortality even when age, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and diet were taken into account.

Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association