Iranian Journal of

Background: Whole-grain foods have been reported to affect serum levels of inflammatory cytokines. However, we are aware of no study examining the effect of whole-grain intake on inflammatory biomarkers among children

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effect of whole grain intake on serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers in overweight or obese children.  

Methods: In this randomized cross-over clinical trial, 44 overweight or obese (BMI>85^th percentile for age and sex) girls aged 8-15 y participated. After a 2-wk run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to either intervention or non-intervention groups. Subjects in the intervention group were given a list of whole grain foods and were asked to obtain 50% of their grain servings from whole grain foods each day for 6 weeks. Individuals in the non-intervention group were also given a list of whole-grain foods and were asked not to consume any of these foods during the intervention phase of the study. A 4-wk washout period was applied following which subjects were crossed over to the alternate arm for an additional 6 wk. Fasting blood samples were taken before and after each phase of study to quantify markers of systemic inflammation.

Results: Mean (±SD) age of study participants was 11.2±1.49 years. Mean weight and BMI of subjects was 51.2±10.2 kg and 23.5±2.5 kg/m², respectively. No significant effect of whole-grain intake on weight and body mass index (BMI) was seen compared with the non-intervention group. We found a significant effect of whole grain intake on serum levels of hs-CRP (changes from baseline in intervention group: -0.55 vs. 0.20 mg/L in non-intervention group, P=0.03), soluble inter-cellular adhesion molecule-1 (-121 vs. 23 μg/L, P=0.02), serum amyloid A (-0.59 vs. 0.32 mg/L, P=0.02) and leptin (-11.5 vs. 36.8 ng/L, P=0.02) after 6 weeks. A trend toward the significant effect of whole grain intake on serum levels of sVCAM-1 (-166 vs. -32 μg/L, P=0.07) was also observed.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence supporting the beneficial effects of whole-grain foods on biomarkers of systemic inflammation in obese children.