Micah Stanley
Anyone who has tried to incorporate old types of grain into their diet instead of conventional grain has been smiled at and viewed as extreme. After all, you can overdo anything. However, a study that looked at the different effects of ancient and modern types of grain on various blood levels has now shown that the choice of ancient grain varieties is very intelligent and far-sighted. Because ancient grains are healthier – especially for the heart!
Old grain varieties prevent heart attacks and strokes
Eating bread made from ancient grains—unlike bread made from modern grains—can lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, according to a study published in August 2016 in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. Both values are the most important risk factors for heart attack and stroke, so it can be assumed that bread made from ancient grains can prevent these two common causes of death.
Ancient Grains: More antioxidants, more minerals
In recent years, a number of ancient grain varieties have found their way into the organic market in particular. Organic bakers always offer bread made from emmer, einkorn, forest rye or old types of spelled. However, whether these are actually better and healthier has not yet been verified or scientifically verified. It was also not clear whether it now makes a significant difference – from a health point of view – to prefer conventional grain or organic grain.
In any case, ancient grains provide significantly more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances than modern types of grain. They contain more B vitamins and more vitamin E, as well as more minerals (magnesium, iron and potassium) – all factors that can protect against chronic diseases.
Nevertheless, the usual critical voices claimed that old varieties were possibly harmful to health, precisely because of the higher proportion of secondary plant substances, which has now turned out to be a fallacy with the present study by the University of Florence.
Better blood levels after eating bread made from ancient grains
The randomized study involved 45 healthy adults with an average age of 50 years.
In the first phase of the study, the participants ate bread made from an ancient wheat variety called Verna instead of their usual bread for eight weeks. 22 ate bread from organic Verna, 23 got bread from conventionally grown Verna.
Then, for a further eight weeks, everyone ate bread made from the modern Blasco wheat variety. And finally, the participants ate bread made from ancient grains again, again for eight weeks.
The researchers took blood samples both at the start of the study and after each eight-week phase. They looked at blood lipid levels, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and all other cardiovascular markers.
The total cholesterol level, LDL cholesterol and blood sugar levels dropped significantly after the first eight weeks, i.e. after eating bread made from old grain varieties – regardless of whether it was conventionally or organically produced. (Residues from sprays usually do not have a direct effect on the usual cardiovascular markers, so it is not surprising that there was no difference in this regard.)
A considerable increase in the circulating so-called endothelial progenitor cells could also be determined after the consumption of ancient grains. These repair damaged blood vessels and help in the regeneration of cardiovascular diseases. The higher the number of these cells, the lower the risk of hospitalization or death from cardiovascular events.
These improvements in blood values did not show up when eating modern types of grain. It is therefore reasonable to assume that it is absolutely worthwhile to give preference to bread made from old grain varieties. Ask your organic baker about it!
Ancient grains: less protein, less gluten, healthier
The ancient wheat variety Verna used in the study had been forgotten for a long time. Because – like all old grain varieties – it is less productive, so it yields less than modern wheat varieties. Verna could only be preserved unchanged over the last decades thanks to the efforts of the University of Florence.
Verna is characterized by a protein content that is at least 2 percent lower than that of modern wheat varieties. In addition, the protein in Verna has a different composition than the protein of modern wheat varieties. While modern wheat flours are 8 to 9 percent gluten, verna flour contains only 0.9 percent. People with a gluten sensitivity or with non-specific digestive problems can therefore often tolerate old types of grain much better.
