The key to a long and healthy life? A bowl of porridge every day, say scientists

• Harvard study of more than 100,000 people for more than 14 years found that whole grains reduce the risk of dying from heart disease
• Daily 28 gram serving of whole grains associated with a 5% lower mortality
• Each serving also cut deaths from cardiovascular disease by 9%

A small bowl of porridge each day could be the key to a long and healthy life, researchers have found.

A major study of more than 100,000 people for more than 14 years found that whole grains reduce the risk of dying from heart disease.

They say a daily 28 gram serving of whole grains was associated with a 5% lower total mortality.

Although whole grains are widely believed to be beneficial for health it is the first research to look at whether they have a long-term impact on lifespan.

Researchers followed more than 100,000 people for more than 14 years monitoring their diets and health outcomes.

Eating whole grain foods reduces death rates from heart disease, but not cancer, a study has shown.

Scientists looked at data on more than 74,000 women and 43,000 men to investigate associations between whole grain consumption and death risk.

Over a period of more than two decades, a total of 26,920 deaths were recorded.

After adjusting for factors such as age, smoking and body mass index (BMI) that may have influenced the results, the researchers found that people who ate whole grains were less likely to die than those who did not.

Every daily 28 gram serving of whole grains was associated with a 5% lower total mortality.

Each serving of whole grains also cut deaths from cardiovascular disease by 9%. However, there was no evidence of an impact on cancer death rates.

Writing in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, the authors, led by Dr Hongyu Wu, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, US, concluded: 'These findings further support current dietary guidelines that recommend increasing whole grain consumption to facilitate primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease and also provide promising evidence that suggests a diet enriched with whole grains may confer benefits towards extended life expectancy.'

Whole grains are cereal grains that are not refined and contain the 'germ', or seed embryo, which is packed with nutrients. 

Examples of whole grain foods include whole-wheat or rye bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, and breakfast cereals such as muesli and shredded wheat.

Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'This is an interesting study and reinforces existing dietary recommendations to eat more foods high in fibre.

'But this study didn't look at what might be the cause of the link between eating whole grains and reduced death rates for cardiovascular disease.

'People with a higher intake of whole grains also tended to have a healthier overall lifestyle and diet so it might not be the whole grains alone that are having the benefit in relation to cardiovascular disease.

'But at this time of year when we are all making resolutions to eat better, switching to whole grain versions of bread, breakfast cereals, pasta and rice is a simple change to make.'

WHOLE GRAINS 

Whole grains are cereal grains that are not refined and contain the 'germ', or seed embryo, which is packed with nutrients. 

Examples of whole grain foods include whole-wheat or rye bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, and breakfast cereals such as muesli and shredded wheat.