A higher quality of carbohydrates implies a lower risk of suffering cardiovascular disease. This has been demonstrated by a group of researchers from project SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) after a study carried out on 17,424 middle-aged Spanish volunteers who were followed up for a period of ten years average .

The results, published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, were obtained after studying the quality of carbohydrates according to four factors: that they were solid rather than liquid, that they were high in fiber, that the cereals were whole grains and that they were slow-absorbing, i.e., low on the glycemic index.

According to scientists from the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy and Nutrition of the University of Navarra -also members of the group CIBERobn-, participants who ingested carbohydrates from this subject at the beginning of the study had a 56% lower risk of suffering myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular death, compared to those who consumed poorer quality carbohydrates.

According to the lead researcher , Professor Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, from department at Preventive Medicine and Public Health, "in the case of volunteers with a higher consumption of whole grains relative to total grain consumption, their risk of cardiovascular disease was 47% lower than those who preferred refined grains and sugars. Moreover, in participants who obtained more than 50% of their daily energy from high quality carbohydrates, the risk of these problems was also clearly lower".

Prioritizing carbohydrate quality over calories

Itziar Zazpe, researcher of the study and professor at the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition of the University of Navarra, considers that these results corroborate "that it is better to replace refined cereals -such as white bread, pastries or cakes- with whole grain bread, since, with equal calories, they reduce the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases".

"Likewise, emphasis should be placed not so much on the quantity of carbohydrates as on their quality, increasing the consumption of whole grain cereals and solid carbohydrates instead of liquids -present in juices and soft drinks among other foods-, as well as reducing added sugars and sugary drinks and choosing, instead, foods with a low glycemic index. All these recommendations fit perfectly into the patron saint of per diem expenses Mediterranean", emphasizes Dr. Zazpe.

"Our main finding," concludes Dr. Martínez-González, "was to find that there is an inverse and consistent association between better carbohydrate quality and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. This relationship is particularly evident if only the percentage of carbohydrates from whole grains is taken into account.

This study is in addition to others conducted at project SUN and PREDIMED, which show that higher quality carbohydrates contribute to adequate vitamin and mineral intake and reduce the risk of obesity.