The not-so-healthy whole wheat bread

by michelle.sundvick | August 6, 2008 at 07:28 am

4341 views | 18 Recommendations | 24 comments

A recent study published by a researcher at the University of Guelph finds that the type of bread we eat in the mornings can affect how the body responds at lunch. Now I've always been told that the darker the bread, the better for you. Generally speaking I think it's safe to say that the majority of us believe this to be true; when ordering whole wheat bread you feel as though you've made the healthier choice. To my surprise, the following research findings show otherwise.

Prof. Terry Graham, a scientist who specializes in carbohydrates, has been looking into the health benefits of various types of bread.

"One of the surprising things in our work is that whole-wheat products turned out to have the least healthy responses of all, and this is not what we expected," he said in an interview.

Using white, whole wheat, whole wheat with barley and sourdough white breads, Graham and his team of researchers examined how subjects responded after eating the bread for breakfast and again just hours after eating a standard lunch.

The 10 male subjects, who were overweight and ranged between 50 and 60 years old, showed the most positive body responses after eating sourdough white bread. Those positive responses remained even after eating a second meal that didn't include bread.

"With the sourdough, the subjects' blood sugar levels were lower for a similar rise in blood insulin," says Graham, whose findings are being published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

"What was even more interesting was that this positive effect remained during their second meal and lasted hours after."

He says that it's likely that the fermentation of the sourdough changes the nature of the starches in the bread, creating a more beneficial bread.

And while sourdough came out on top, the whole-wheat varieties used in the study came out on the bottom, even below white bread.

The whole-wheat bread caused blood sugar levels to spike and these high levels lasted until well after lunch.

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LisaNH

at 08:41 on August 6th, 2008

Good thing I use sourdough starter when I make whole wheat bread!

David B (not verified)

at 12:53 on February 22nd, 2009

I read a study that said the benefits of whole grains were lost in whole wheat doughs. Whole kernel grains take longer to digest, but not if they are ground up (thus vastly increase the surface area on which digestion can act). So you could take a whole wheat kernel, a whole rice grain, or whole corn kernel. If you grind and mill them, the positive benefits are lost.

Illnevertell (not verified)

at 09:57 on August 6th, 2008

I wonder what the "positive body responses" were. Also, all carbohydrates cause blood-sugar levels to rise. That's what they are supposed to do.

Over the course of the day, whole wheat bread's nutrition lasts longer than white bread which is metabolized faster. White bread has much less protein and is lower in beneficial nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Whole wheat seems better for your body overall, not just for the day.

The study also did not mention the effect other ingredients may have onthe study. Was there added corn syrup or sugar or molasses in the bread? "Darker is better" is a myth, as the darkest breads are colored by molasses and brown sugar, not whole wheat, which would of course, spike your blood sugar levels.

SOLARLIFE

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:53 on August 6th, 2008

michelle.sundvick, I like this story. The bread we eat. White sandwich bread the worst quality; whole wheat bread good, but not to digest from fast food low enzymes people. Now France, once known for crispy Baguette bread, eats bread premanufactured, just heated up 5 min. before in the oven. Glues after 30 min. in your stomach . Selfmade bread low salt the best, who has the time? Good italian restaurants still make it daily.

dmsnyder

at 12:01 on August 6th, 2008

This is a whole wheat bread. This is a sourdough bread. So, how do these research findings apply to this bread?

dmsnyder

dmsnyder has contributed a photo to this story.

CChristieJ

at 12:43 on August 6th, 2008

I make bread and this is my whole wheat effort.

CChristieJ has contributed a photo to this story.

lilaloroca

at 13:21 on August 6th, 2008

Well, even after reading this article I´ll keep making wholewheat bread. The bread shown here is a wholewheat + raisins bread.
Sourdough may be a healthier option, but it is not common at all here in Brazil (people usually have a tasteless-and-full-of-conservants "French" bread).

lilaloroca has contributed a photo to this story.

nukemdomis

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:21 on August 6th, 2008

michelle.sundvick,

This is interesing because I eat toast daily.

I like this story. It's good stuff.

Maureen1

at 16:10 on August 6th, 2008

This is a organic white, wholemeal and rye flours sourdough loaf.
It took a bit of practice to achieve a good sourdough loaf, but I am getting better all the time at baking.

Maureen1 has contributed a photo to this story.

cassy82

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 18:10 on August 6th, 2008

michelle.sundvick, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Brian Searle

at 18:25 on August 6th, 2008

Taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/searleb/

Brian Searle has contributed a photo to this story.

carlweaver

at 19:01 on August 6th, 2008

Interesting. I always had a feeling that sourdough was good for a body but I never knew for sure.

carlweaver has contributed a photo to this story.

duo

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 19:03 on August 6th, 2008

michelle.sundvick, I like this story. It's good news! I like sourdough bread.

rebekahnn

at 19:59 on August 6th, 2008

Tasty french toast with homemade wheat bread at Lago de Atitlan in Guatemala

rebekahnn has contributed a photo to this story.

ibii

at 22:38 on August 6th, 2008

Interesting article, as you can see I don't eat anything except whole wheat bread at home because it is supposedly healthier... though the increase in blood sugar does make sense as whole wheat varieties taste much sweeter to me, but regardless, I think the benefits of added fiber and nutrition of whole wheat bread would be better for you unless you have a specific blood sugar issue

ibii has contributed a photo to this story.

Handolio

at 00:38 on August 7th, 2008

Originally created for an English friend of mine living in Sydney, and unable to get hold of Marmite. The toast was delicious, incidentally.

Handolio has contributed a photo to this story.

Sippan

at 00:56 on August 7th, 2008

Sourdough wholewheatbread, without added sugar, is the right thing.

Sippan has contributed a photo to this story.

cyenobite

at 04:25 on August 7th, 2008

While I agreed to allow Michelle the use of my home made whole wheat bread for this article, I don't condone the findings of the study (or think that my bread is unhealthy). As
Illnevertell points out in the second comment, there are some questions in this article that need answering before comparing all the results.

patgarcia

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 06:17 on August 7th, 2008

michelle.sundvick, I like this story. It's good stuff. I've just had my "healthy"whole wheat toast for breakfast, I would pref fer the one in your picture though! Thanks for posting this.

Eliseo33

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:57 on August 7th, 2008

michelle.sundvick, I like this story. It's good stuff.

michelle.sundvick

at 10:14 on August 7th, 2008

Thanks so much for all of your contributions and great photos. It makes me hungry just reading all of your comments!

salwa williams (not verified)

at 16:08 on August 7th, 2008

I totally agree. Weston A price website discusses much of this. The truth is , in order to maximize nutritional benefits from whole grains, sprouting, or soaking (with a substance to break down the phytic acid), allows increased health benefits from the grains. I totally agree that a fermented sourdough would give better benefits because the fermenting allows part of the breakdown of the difficult to digest phytic acid. I think you would enjoy the book nourishing traditions, or the website westonaprice.org for additional information on maximizing grains nutritional value in bread.