LONDON: Amid the race to find a cure for cancer, a growing number of increasingly unexpected research areas are being explored by scientists.
The most recent surprising claims come from a Harvard University study, which found the humble breakfast porridge may have the power to protect against death from cancer.
The study is a meta-analysis of 12 studies about whole grain and which involve a total of 786 076 participants.
It found eating 70 grams of whole grain per day (the same amount as a large bowel of porridge) lowers the risk of death from all causes by 22%.
In particular, death from cancer was found to be reduced by 20% and death from cardiovascular disease by 20%.
Dr Qi Sun, assistant professor in public health at Harvard University, said: “Based on the solid evidence from this meta-analysis and numerous previous studies that collectively document beneficial effects of whole grains, I think health-care providers should unanimously recommend whole grain consumption to the general population as well as to patients with certain diseases to help achieve better health and perhaps reduce death.”
Foods which are high in whole grains include bran, oatmeal and quinoa.
They contain a number of nutrients, including protein, fibre, iron and folic acid.