US consumers who reduce refined grain consumption may have nutrient deficiencies, study flags

04 Oct 2021 --- The removal of 25 to 100% of enriched refined grain foods from the average US consumer’s diet can result in failure to meet the recommended amount of several essential nutrients, including dietary fiber, iron and magnesium.

This is according to a new study that follows an analysis of the US dietary recommendations that promote greater intake of whole grains alongside the limitation of refined or enriched grain foods.

“When you remove entire food groups or a majority of foods from select food groups, you will have nutrient shortfalls and likely will not have the kind of energy needed to sustain daily activities, and grains are no exception,” says Stacey Krawczyk, principal consulting registered dietitian for the Grain Foods Foundation and president of FoodWell Strategies.

There are currently not many peer-reviewed studies that examine the nutrient contributions of staple refined, enriched and fortified grains in the US diet.

Krawczyk hopes that this data will “provide people with the understanding they need to help recover potential nutrient shortfalls in their diet.”

Nutritional impact of grain removal
The researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2009 to 2016 that estimated the usual daily intake of shortfall nutrients for Dietary Guidelines for Americans in the current dietary pattern and when specific percentages of fortified or enriched refined grain foods were removed from the diet.

The study was published in the medical journal of nutritional science, Frontiers in Nutrition and received funding support from the Grain Foods Foundation.The removal of refined grains from a diet resulted in reduced energy intake in participants.

The study observed two groups of adult US consumers, one between 19 to 50 years old and the other between 51 to 99 years old.

The researchers found that the removal of refined grains reduced nutrient levels in both age groups by a significant amount, and it also found that this led to a reduced energy intake by 10% in both age groups.

The study was conducted with the knowledge that the participants lacked essential nutrients from their daily diets beforehand.

While this did not affect the study’s outcome, it further highlighted the importance of consuming refined grains – bread, ready-to-eat cereals and all-grained foods – to compensate for the lack of nutrition occurring elsewhere.

As grains represent a key food group in the US dietary pattern, researchers hypothesized that specified grain foods – bread and ready-to-eat cereals – are associated with nutrient adequacy and can be an integral part of helping to meet dietary guidelines.

Grains in focus
Industry players have shown their interest in grains and their health benefits.

NutritionInsight has previously reported that whole grains are a vital food group in maintaining a healthy dietary pattern.

In July, it was flagged that US consumers are increasing whole grain consumption as these are perceived as sustainable and have health benefits. Meanwhile, a separate US study found that refined grains were “falsely” linked to a risk of obesity and chronic disease.

Edited by Nicole Kerr