What was the study?
The study asking: is white bread as good for you as wholemeal—was conducted by the Weizman science institute of science in Israel, looked at twenty healthy individuals who were provided with either white or wholemeal bread and instructed to eat said bread at regular intervals. The institute then conducted studies on twenty health markers and monitored how they would change. These health markers mainly focused on the increase in blood sugar levels; this is called glycemic control. Other factors that were looked at to a lesser degree were vitamins, minerals, fat and cholesterol levels.
What was the Outcome?
The research showed that there was no little to no difference in the glycemic control when comparing white bread to wholemeal bread.
Researcher Eran Segal told The Sun: ‘The initial finding, and this was very much contrary to our expectation, was that there were no clinically significant differences between the effects of these two types of bread on any of the parameters that we measured…We looked at a number of markers, and there was no measurable difference in the effect that this type of dietary intervention had…The findings of this study are not only fascinating but potentially very important – different people react differently, even to the same foods.’
It had to be noted where there were differences it has to be considered that differences in people’s individual gut, i.e. a number of bacteria that lives inside, varies from person to person so there this would affect the results.
See also: Eat Clean
How reliable is this information?
Somewhat, although the test was only carried out for a short amount of time using a reasonably small amount of people for a study to declare these results are entirely accurate. As noted, results varied depending on a person’s gut bacteria content.
So, is White Bread Healthier?
No. It is inconsequential when it comes to glycemic levels it seems, but again, a larger array of tests should be carried out to prove this fundamentally. Wholemeal bread still has a variety of health benefits that white bread does not, these include:
• Aiding in digestion
• Feeling fuller
• Avoiding weight gain
• Lower blood pressure
• Cut markers of inflammation
If you’re specifically worried about your glycemic levels then eating white bread shouldn’t be a concern for you. But this isn’t an overall indicator that you should switch from wholemeal to white if you’re on a wholemeal diet. To answer the question is white bread as good for you as wholemeal, this study simply shows that it’s inconsequential which type of bread you consume when it comes to your glycemic levels.
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