Whole Grains help you loose weight

According to a new study by Harvard researchers, when it comes to weight, simply favoring whole grains over white bread and other refined grains can help us put on fewer pounds as we age. Among the 74,000 women who participated in the study, those who ate more fiber-rich grains gained less weight over time than women who got the least fiber in their diets. In addition, the women with the highest fiber intake were half as likely as those with the lowest intake to become obese over a 12 year period. In contrast, diets heavy in refined-grain products like white bread and pasta were linked to greater weight gain over time. When it comes to weight control, whole grains such as oats, bran and brown rice have an advantage over highly processed, low-fiber grain products.

For one thing, fiber-rich whole grains are more filling, and people who favor them over refined grains may take in fewer calories. It's also thought that while starchy refined grains cause a rapid increase in blood sugar, whole grains may create a slower, more sustained release of sugar into the blood – which may have a beneficial effect on metabolism and fat storage.

Whole grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that may get in the way of metabolic efficiency – meaning the body is forced to burn extra calories just to digest and absorb whole-grain foods.