For a few people, white bread is the healthiest type of bread

Is white bread healthier than wholegrain bread??
In recent years, more and more people try to eat as little as possible white bread, because this is supposedly unhealthy for the body. Researchers have now discovered that white bread is not detrimental to all people. For some people, white bread may even be the best option for overall health.

The scientists of the Israeli Weizmann Institute of Science found in their study that the consumption of white bread does not always have to be unhealthy. For some people, white bread may even be healthier than whole wheat bread. The intestinal flora of consumers influences how the human body reacts to different types of bread. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Cell Metabolism".

If you like white bread, there might be good news for you now. For some people, white bread is healthier than other types of bread. This depends on the intestinal mucous membrane of the person. (Image: womue / fotolia.com)

The intestinal mucosa is important to human health
The bacteria in the human intestine (microbiome) maintain the health of the intestinal mucosa. This plays a major role in the human immune system, because the intestinal mucosa exerts a kind of barrier effect, the researchers say.

How much bread did the participants eat??
During the study, participants consumed about 10 percent of their daily calories by consuming bread. The experts examined the microbiome as well as the glucose, calcium, iron, magnesium, fat and cholesterol levels, kidney and liver enzymes and various inflammatory markers. Participants were then asked to increase their bread consumption to 25 percent of their calories, the researchers explain.

What types of bread were used in the study?
Two different types of bread were used in the study. These breads were white bread and bread made from wholemeal sourdough. The white bread has a high glycemic index. The wholemeal sourdough bread has a low glycemic index and is generally considered much healthier, the doctors say.

Some subjects responded better to the white bread
The physicians found that the so-called intestinal microbiome composition of participants plays a major role in the body's response to different types of bread. To the astonishment of the scientists there was no significant difference between the effects of the two types of bread on some subjects, explains the author Eran Segal. Further research revealed that people with certain microbiomes responded better to wholegrain sourdough bread. Other participants responded better to the white bread.

Further research is needed
The results of the study show that white bread does not necessarily have to raise your blood sugar levels more than other breads. This is simply due to the individual gut microbiotics of the individual consumers, explain the scientists. The investigation was only relatively small. Further research on this topic is now needed because many other studies have concluded that eating wholegrain bread is much healthier.

Positive effects of the consumption of whole grain bread
A recent meta-analysis of 45 studies for the BMJ found that there is further evidence that whole-grain consumption is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, all cancers and mortality. (As)