Eating six or more slices of white bread a day is strongly linked to obesity, Spanish researchers have claimed.
The academic who led the study warned that white bread was “like a bomb of sugar” for the body and said there was a significant likelihood that it caused weight problems.
For the study, researchers tracked the eating habits of more than 9,000 young adults for an average of five years to assess the impact of white bread on a population where bread is a major part of the diet, HealthDay News reported.
They found that participants who ate both white and whole grain breads did not have an increased risk for weight gain. But those who ate large amounts of white bread – two or more portions – were 40 percent more likely to become overweight or obese than those who ate less than one portion of white bread a week.
The researchers found no significant link between eating whole grain bread only and becoming overweight or obese. Martinez-Gonzalez said this may be because of the types of carbohydrates, fiber content and other ingredients in whole grain bread. , HealthDay News reported.
“A sensible recommendation would be to switch to wholegrain bread, especially for people who usually consume a lot of bread,” Martinez-Gonzalez said.
Agencies/Canadajournal