Whole-Grain Intake, Reflected by Dietary Records and Biomarkers, Is Inversely Associated with Circulating Insulin and Other Cardiometabolic Markers in 8- to 11-Year-Old Children.
Background: Whole-grain consumption seems to be cardioprotective in adults, but evidence in children is limited.Objective: We investigated whether intakes of total whole grain and dietary fiber as well as specific whole grains were associated with fat mass and cardiometabolic risk profile in children.Methods: We collected cross-sectional data on parental education, puberty, diet by 7-d records, and physical activity by accelerometry and measured anthropometry, fat mass index by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and blood pressure in 713 Danish children aged 8-11 y. Fasting blood samples were obtained and analyzed for alkylresorcinols, biomarkers of whole-grain wheat and rye intake, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triacylglycerols, insulin, and glucose. Linear mixed models included puberty, parental education, physical activity, and intakes of energy, fruit and vegetables, saturated fat, and n-3 (?-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids.Results: Median (IQR) whole-grain and dietary fiber intakes were 52 g/d (35-72 g/d) and 17 g/d (14-22 g/d), respectively. Fourteen percent of children were overweight or obese and most had low-risk cardiometabolic profiles. Dietary whole-grain and fiber intakes were not associated with fat mass index but were inversely associated with serum insulin [both P