Antioxidants in whole grains:

http://www.glnc.org.au/grains/grains-and-nutrition/wholegrains/

Antioxidants in whole grains:
The antioxidant content of wholegrains is of worthy note, with research showing the in vitro antioxidant activity of whole grain foods is on par with, or higher than that of vegetables and fruits.

A 2007 study by the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture ranked foods for their antioxidant capacity.

Cereal based foods including ready-to-eat cereals, oats, wholegrain breads and legumes were found to be amongst the highest antioxidant containing foods by ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) score.

Table 1: ORAC Antioxidant Capacity of Selected Fruits, Vegetables, Grains and Legumes (μmolTE/100g)
                                           

Rice bran                                       24287                    
Blueberries                           6552
Cornflakes                                    2359                      
Blackberries                        5347
Granola                                          2294                      
Strawberries                       3577
Oat bran                                         2183                      
Apples                                   2828
Rolled oats                                    2169                      
Avocados                              1933
Pumpernickel                              1963                      
Oranges                                 1819
Popcorn                                         1743                      
Spinach                                  1515
Mixed grain bread                      1421                        
Broccoli                                 1362
Shredded wheat cereal              1303                        
Green tea, brewed          1253
Mangoes                               1002
Carrots                                    666

Legumes                                                                      

Chickpeas                                     847                        
Green peas                            600
Lima beans                                  243
Pinto beans                                  904                        

Antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E and its isomers (tocopherols and tocotrienols) and minerals such as selenium contribute to the antioxidant activity, as do phytochemicals like phytates, phenolics, and lignans or alkylresorcinols.

Grain-specific antioxidants exist, such as oryzonol in rice, avenanthramides in oats and ferulic acid in corn and wheat. Some of these phenolics have anti-atherogenic activity. Certain other phenolics, phenolic lipids, flavonoids, tocopherols and dietary fibers (e.g. beta-glucan) found in grains are anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory.

Choline, betaine and alkylresorcinols (which is particularly abundant in rye) are other important compounds found in wholegrains which play a role in the prevention of cell mutations and tumor formation.

Research has shown (and continues to bring to light) the many nutritional and functional components of whole grain cereals that work alone and/or in synergy to promote human health and offer significant protection against many of the lifestyle diseases that plague our world today. More detailed information on the health attributes of wholegrains can be found in the section – ‘Grains and Health’.