| Effects of Processing on the Nutritional
Quality of Food 6th Karlsruhe Nutrition Symposium Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, Karlsruhe October 21-23, 2001
Excerpt from Abstract volume: |
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Rye bread consumption: nutritional value and health benefits J. Dreisörner*, M. Lindhauer Federal Centre for Cereal, Potato and Lipid
Research Institute for Cereal and Starch
Technology Schuetzenberg 12, 32756
Detmold
- Germany |
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Rye is a cereal used for breadmaking over thousends of years. In Germany rye products are a traditional element in the diet and about 70 % of all bakery goods contain rye milling products. The average uptake per person is about 16 kg rye/year. However, the consumption of rye based products, mostly in bread, is related to health benefits. The composition of rye is unique. Other than starch as a main energy source, studies have revealed that protein, dietary fiber and bran composition provide many health benefits for the consumer. Soluble fiber, such as arabinoxylan or ß-glucane, binds large amounts of water and slows down the gastric emptying rate. A diet high in rye fiber has positive effects on reducing serum total and LDL cholestreol in men with elevated serum cholesterol. Epidemological studies support a protective effect of a high intake of whole grain products on the risk of myocardial infarctions. The fiber could also provide as natural prebiotic ingredient substrates for the complex ecosystem in the large intestine, as seen for xylo-oligosaccharides. In rye grains a relatively high amount of lignans is also present. These lignans are converted into weakly estrogenic mammalian lignans in the colon. The potential health benefits of these substances are for example antioxidative and cancerprotective.There is also a suggestive evidence that cereal fiber protects against breast cancer and there are good reasons to examine the relationship between rye fiber intake and the risk of cancer at other sites. The presentation gives an overview about the composition of rye breads in Germany and reviews scandinavian studies regarding health benefits of diets containing rye milling products. *Corresponding author Email: dreisoer.bagkf@t-online.de |