HEALTH White or brown bread: which is healthier?

The conception that brown, whole-grain bread is healthier than its white, refined industrial counterpart might not be true, according to a study published in the Cell Metabolism journal.

Brown bread has long been considered to be a healthier choice for its low glycemic index, which affects the level of blood sugar in the human body.

In a two-week study of 20 people carried out in Israel, the researchers found no differential clinical effect of white bread versus sourdough bread. Instead, they concluded that the glycemic response depends more on the person’s stomach guts than the type of bread they consume.

However, whole-grain bread might be better than white bread when the level of fiber is taken into account, according to Bridget Benelam of the British Nutrition Foundation, as quoted by The Sun.

On the other hand, professor Susan Jebb at Oxford University stated that the sample group might be too small to detect any meaningful small differences. She cautioned about the difficulties in drawing a conclusion from such a small trial. (dev/kes)