Recent Progress in Understanding the Role and Molecular Mechanism of Whole Grains in Disease Regulation

Intake of whole grains has substantial health benefits, which are attributed to various functional substances in whole grains. When consumed, whole grais are digested and fermented in the gastrointestinal tract, transforming active ingredients into important metabolites regulating human health and having multiple beneficial effects on certain human diseases. Numerous studies have shown that diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal cancer are related to diet and the intestinal microflora. Although the relationship between these diseases and whole grains and the gut microbiota has not been thoroughly studied, the interactions between the gut microbiota and whole grains and the effects on the expression of related regulatory genes have been increasingly studied in recent years, and an increasing number of findings have confirmed the role of whole grains in regulating human diseases. In this paper, we review the role and molecular mechanism of whole grains in the regulation of these diseases, which will provide a biological basis and reference for further research and application of whole grains.