Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T12:57:57.802Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Whole grain health claims in the USA and other efforts to increase whole-grain consumption*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2007

Len Marquart*
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, Eckles Avenue, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
Kathryn L. Wiemer
Affiliation:
Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, General Mills Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55427, USA
Julie M. Jones
Affiliation:
College of St Catherine, 2004 Randolph Avenue, St Paul, Minnesota, 55105, USA
Brenda Jacob
Affiliation:
Quality and Regulatory Regulations, General Mills Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55427, USA
*
Corresponding author: Len Marquart, fax +1 612 –625 5272, LMARQUAR@che.umn.edu
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In response to the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, the Food and Drug Administration approved seven health claims that addressed the relationship between broad food categories and risk of certain chronic diseases. These claims are based on scientific consensus that includes epidemiological, animal and clinical research. The Food and Drug Administration also established a process to petition for new health claims that address substance-disease relationships supported by adequate scientific and specific regulatory requirements. The whole grain-cancer and heart disease authoritative statement health claim approved in July 1999 followed a completely different process mandated by the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997. It is based on an authoritative statement made by a government body that represents scientific consensus and is supported by other scientific agencies and organizations. The scientific basis for the claim published in Diet and Health reflects a comprehensive and deliberative review of epidemiological, animal and human studies by the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Diet and Health. Health claims used on whole-grain products can attract the attention of health-conscious consumers and are important tools in communicating health messages. However, the US public consumes substantially fewer whole-grain servings than recommended by US dietary guidance. Reasons given by consumers for not purchasing whole-grain foods include colour, price, softness, texture, moisture content and taste. Developing tastier value-added whole-grain foods along with simple coordinated messages from industry, the scientific community, public health experts and government will help consumers identify, purchase and consume more whole-grain products.

Type
Session: Health effects of whole grains
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2003

Footnotes

*

The health claims section of the present paper is adapted from Wiemer (2002), with permission from the American Association of Cereal Chemists.

References

Adams, JF (2000) Dietary intake of whole grain vs. recommendations. Cereal Foods World 45, 7578.Google Scholar
Anderson, JW (2003) Whole grains protect against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 62, 000000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, JW, Ward, K (1979) High-carbohydrate, high-fiber diets for insulin-treated men with diabetes mellitus. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 32, 23122321.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Appel, LJ, Moore, TJ, Obarzanek, E, Vollmer, W, Svetkey, L, Sacks, F, Bray, G, Vogt, T, Cutler, J, Windhauser, M, Lin, P, Karanja, N (1997) A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. New England Journal of Medicine 336, 11171124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burr, ML, Fehily, AM, Gilbert, JF, Rogers, S, Holliday, RM, Sweetman, PM, Elwood, PC, Deadman, NM (1989) Effects of changes in fat, fish, and fiber intakes on death and myocardial infarction: diet and reinfarction (DART). Lancet ii, 757761.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davidson, MH, Dugan, LD, Burns, JH, Bova, J, Story, K, Drennan, KB (1991) The hypocholesterolemic effects of beta-glucan in oatmeal and oat bran – a dose-controlled study. Journal of the American Medical Association 265, 18331839.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeGroot, AP, Luyken, R, Pikaar, NA (1963) Cholesterol-lowering effect of rolled oats. Lancet ii, 203.Google Scholar
Food and Drug Administration (1997) Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act. http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/105–115.htm#SEC.%20303Google Scholar
Food and Drug Administration (1999) Whole-Grain Foods Authoritative Statement Claim Notification. Docket 99P2209. http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/070899/070899.htm..Google Scholar
Food and Nutrition Board (1989) FNB Committee on Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk. Washington, DC: National Research Council.Google Scholar
Fraser, GE, Jacobs, DR, Anderson, JT, Foster, N, Palta, M, Blackburn, H (1981) The effect of various vegetable supplements on serum cholesterol. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 12721277.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraser, GE, Sabate, J, Beeson, WL, Strahan, TM (1992) A possible protective effect of nut consumption on risk of coronary heart disease: The Adventist Health Study. Archives of Internal Medicine 152, 14161424.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gramenzi, A, Gentile, A, Fasoli, M, Negri, E, Parazzine, F, LaVecchia, C (1990) Association between certain foods and risk of acute myocardial infarction in women. British Medicine Journal 300, 771773.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
He, J, Klag, MJ, Whelton, PK, Mo, JP, Chen, JY, Qian, MC, Mo, PS, He, GQ (1995) Oats and buckwheat intakes and cardiovascular disease risk factors in an ethnic minority of China. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61, 366372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacobs, DR, Marquart, L, Slavin, J, Kushi, LH (1998a) Whole grain intake and cancer: An expanded review and meta-analysis. Nutrition and Cancer 30, 8596.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacobs, DR Jr, Meyer, KA, Kushi, LH & Folsom, AR (1998b) Whole grain intake may reduced the risk of ischemic heart disease death Health effects of whole grains 159 in postmenopausal women: The Iowa Women's Health Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 68, 248257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnston, L, Reynolds, HR, Patz, M, Hunninghake, DB, Schultz, K, Westereng, B (1998) Cholesterol-lowering benefits of a whole grain oat ready-to-eat cereal. Nutrition Clinical Care 1, 612.Google Scholar
Jones, JM, Reicks, M, Adams, J, Fulcher, RG, Weaver, G, Kanter, M, Marquart, L (2002a) The importance of promoting a whole grain foods message. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 21, 293297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, JM, Reicks, M, Fulcher, RG, Marquart, L, Adams, J, Weaver, G, Kanter, M (2002b) Taking action to move forward with the message about whole grains.In Whole Grains in Health and Disease 359369 [Marquart, LSlavin, JFulcher, RG, editor]. St Paul, MN: American Association of Cereal Chemists.Google Scholar
Judd, PA, Truswell, AS (1981) The effect of rolled oats on blood lipids and fecal steroid excretion in man. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 20612067.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kantor, LS, Variyam, JN, Allshouse, JE, Putnam, JJ, Lin, BH (2001) Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains: A challenge for consumers. Journal of Nutrition 131 473S – 486S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karlstrom, B, Vessby, B, Asp, NG, Boberg, M, Gustafsson, IB, Lithell, H, Werner, I (1984) Effects of an increased content of cereal fibre in the diet of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. Diabetologia 26, 272277.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knox, EG (1977) Foods and disease. British Journal of Preventive Social Medicine 31, 13071314.Google Scholar
Krauss, R, Eckel, R, Howard, B, Daniels, S, Kris-Etherton, P, Lichtenstein, A, Wylie-Rosett, J, Bazzarre, T (2001) American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines. Revision 2000: A statement for healthcare professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association. Circulation 102, 2284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, B-H, Frazao, E, Guthrie, J (1999) Away-From-Home Foods Increasingly Important to Quality of American Diet Washington, DC US Government Printing Office Agriculture Information Bulletin no. 749 Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Marquart, L, Slavin, J, Fulcher, RG (2002) Future issues and directions for grains and health: the next ten years.In Whole Grains in Health and Disease 371374 St Paul, MN: American Association of Cereal Chemists.Google Scholar
Marquart, L, Wiemer, K, Jacob, B (2001) Health claims: Solid science and effective marketing. Nutrition Today 36, 16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, H, Kanter, M, Marquart, L, Prakash, A, Rigelhof, F (2000) Antioxidant content of whole grain breakfast cereals, fruits and vegetables. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 19, 312S319S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, J, Marr, J, Clayton, D (1977) Diet and heart: A postscript. British Medical Journal 2, 13071314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pietinen, P, Rimm, EB, Korhonen, P, Hartman, AM, Willett, WC, Albanes, D, Virtamo, J (1996) Intake of dietary fiber and risk of coronary heart disease in a cohort of Finnish men. The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study. Circulation 94, 27202727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, H, Lindeke, E, Hunninghake, D (1989) Effect of oat bran on serum lipids. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 89 A112.Google Scholar
Rimm, EB, Ascherio, A, Giovannucci, E, Spiegelman, D, Stampfer, MJ, Willett, WC (1996) Vegetable, fruit and cereal fiber intake and risk of coronary heart disease among men. Journal of the American Medical Association 275, 447451.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ripsin, CM, Keenan, JM, Jacobs, DR, Elmer, PJ, Welch, RR, Van Horn, L, Lieu, K, Turnbull, WH, Thye, FW, Kestin, M, Hegsted, M, Davidson, DM, Davidson, MH, Dugan, LD, Demark-Wahnefried, WQ, Belin, S (1992) Oat products and lipid lowering – a metaanalysis. Journal of the American Medical Association 267, 447451.Google ScholarPubMed
Salmeron, J, Ascherio, A, Rimm, E, Colditz, G, Spiegelman, D, Jenkins, D, Stampfer, M, Wing, A, Willett, W (1997a) Dietary fiber, glycemic load, and risk of NIDDM in men. Diabetes Care 20, 545550.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salmeron, J, Manson, J, Colditz, G, Wing, A, Willett, W (1997b) Dietary fiber, glycemic load, and risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in women. Journal of the American Medical Association 277, 472477.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slavin, J (2003) Why whole grains are protective: biological mechanisms. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 62, 000000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slavin, J, Jacobs, D, Marquart, L (1997) Whole grain consumption and chronic diseases: Protective mechanisms. Nutrition and Cancer 27, 1421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
US Congress (1990) Nutrition Labeling and Education Act Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
US Department of AgricultureUS Department of Agriculture (1992) The Food Guide Pyramid Home and Garden Bulletin no. 252 Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
US Department of AgricultureUS Department of Agriculture (2000) Dietary Guidelines for Americans Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
US Department of Health and Human Services (2000) Healthy People 2010, conference ed Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Van Horn, L, Emidy, LA, Lieu, K, Liao, Y, Ballew, C, King, J, Stamler, J (1988) Serum lipid response to a fat-modified oatmeal-enhanced diet. Preventative Medicine 17, 377386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Horn, L, Liu, K, Parker, D, Emidy, L, Liao, Y, Pan, WH, Giumetti, D, Hewitt, J, Stamler, J (1986) Serum lipid response to oat product intake with a response to oat product intake with a fat-modified diet. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 86, 759764.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Horn, L, Moag-Stahlberg, A, Liu, KA, Ballew, C, Ruth, K, Hughes, R, Stamler, J (1991) Effects on serum lipids of adding instant oats to usual American diets. American Journal of Public Health 81, 183188.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warber, JP, Haddad, EH, Hodgkin, GE, Lee, JW (1996) Foodservice specialists exhibit lack of knowledge in identifying grain products. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 96, 796798.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wheat Foods Council (2002a) Grains for the Health of It: Increasing Grains and Whole Grain Consumption as a Strategy for Health (Proceedings). http://wheatfoods.org/symposium_proceedings.html..Google Scholar
Wheat Foods Council (2002b) Grains for the Health of It: Increasing Grains and Whole Grain Consumption as a Strategy for Health (Proceedings). http://wheatfoods.org/pdfs/grains_for_the_health_of_it/pt3_plenary_session.pdf..Google Scholar
Wiemer, K (2002) Whole-grains health claims: supporting scientific evidence and the FDA Modernization Act process.In Whole Grains in Health and Disease 327340 [Marquart, LSlavin, JFulcher, RG, editor]. St Paul, MN: American Association of Cereal Chemists.Google Scholar