부산대학교 도서관

Epidemiological evidence indicates that increased consumption of whole grain foods is associated with decreased incidence of chronic diseases. The mechanisms underlying these effects are poorly understood but may be due to the antioxidant effects of phenolics or other components. The first postprandial study assessed the effects of consumption of minimally processed wheat bran and aleurone fractions on ferulic acid responses and antioxidant measures in humans. Results showed that both fractions significantly increased urinary total phenolics and plasma and urinary ferulic acid, and that plasma MetSO was significantly reduced after consumption of aleurone. The second postprandial study, which assessed the effects of consumption of aleurone, incorporated into breads, with or without iron addition, showed significant increases in plasma and urinary ferulic acid, and significant decreases in plasma MetSO; the addition of iron did not influence these responses. The third study, which assessed the effects of longer term consumption of aleurone enriched products on antioxidant, inflammatory and other disease risk factors in a parallel, four week intervention study, showed significant decreases in hs CRP and LDL-cholesterol, but other lipids and biomarkers of inflammatory status were unaffected. Furthermore, there were no significant effects on fasting plasma ferulic acid, or antioxidant, anthropometric or blood glucose measures. Overall, the results indicated that wheat bran and aleurone fractions can impact on postprandial ferulic acid levels, and antioxidant measures, and that longer term consumption of wheat aleurone enriched products can ameliorate inflammatory and lipid biomarkers. Future studies should further assess these effects, and extend this work to other components and mechanisms underlying the health benefits of whole grains.