Eating Lots of Whole Grains Might Help You Live Longer

Want a long, healthy life? Try eating carbs. (Seriously.)

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The paleo diet might be all the rage, but staying away from carbs might not be the best idea in the long run. New research shows that eating whole grains can help you live a long, healthy life.

A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that a diet rich in whole grains can decrease your risk of death by up to 15 percent. The study found that eating more whole grains is linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and lower mortality in general. And that's completely independent from other factors like age, weight, and exercise.

Harvard researchers analyzed data from more than 74,000 women and 43,000 men over a 25-year period. In the study, participants recorded their diets in surveys given every two to four years. People who ate at least 28 grams of whole grains every day were five percent less likely to die during the 25-year period, and nine percent less likely to die of heart disease. However, whole grains didn't change the mortality rate from cancer.

Researchers isolated the part of the grain that helps your health the most: the bran, which is the skin that covers the kernel of a whole grain. (Think of the golden part on the outside of a popcorn kernel.) Eating more bran decreased participants' risk of dying by a whopping 20 percent.

Overall, the scientists recommend swapping refined grains (like white bread) with whole grains for better health. "I think it's quite conclusive that if you eat whole grains, you almost always benefit," senior researcher Dr. Qi Sun told LiveScience.

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