Association of whole grain intake and longitudinal changes in abdominal adiposity in the Framingham Heart Study

Abstract

Longitudinal studies on the association of whole grain (WG) intake and abdominal adiposity are scarce. We examined the longitudinal association between WG intake and annualized changes in waist circumference (WC) in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring adults. WC was measured approximately every 4 years over a median of 14 years of follow‐up. WG intake (g/d) was estimated by FFQ and calculated with and without added bran and germ. Repeated measures models, with data from 4 exam periods (n=11,372 observations), were used to examine associations between WG intake and annualized changes in WC. After adjustment for time‐varying and invariant demographic and lifestyle factors (including WC at the beginning of each exam interval), greater WG intake was associated with less annualized gain in WC. Adults who consumed more whole grains daily (median intake of 39 g/d) gained less abdominal fat per year (0.63 ± 0.04 cm gain in WC) than those who consumed fewer whole grains (median intake of 4 g/d) (0.79± 0.04 cm gain in WC). The inverse association between WG intake and change in WC was stronger in normal weight adults. The association remained significant after further adjusting for lipid‐lowering and blood pressure medications and diabetes. Based on these findings, a randomized trial is warranted to examine whether incorporating WG foods in the diet helps to mitigate gains in abdominal adiposity over time.Grant Funding Source: The National Institute of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Contract N01‐HC‐25195), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA agreement No. 58–1950‐7–707) and the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition