White bread
has always been deemed unhealthy.
But there's
probably no need to give it up and turn to handmade sourdoughs from fancy
bakeries, new research suggests. Eating the
mass-produced white loaves won't necessarily make you fat - contrary to popular
belief, scientists claim.
Instead, it
completely depends on how your body, specifically stomach bacteria, reacts to
researchers gave 40 participants either handmade sourdough or white bread, The
Independent reports.
Blood sugar
levels spiked in both groups, a known risk factor of obesity in people eating
high glycemic index foods.
But neither
were found to put on more weight than another, according to the researchers.
This provided the biggest indicator that the gut microbiome is responsible for
weight gain, they said.
They
managed to revert blood sugar levels back to normal by tailoring diets for each
participant based on their stomach bacteria.
Dr Evan
Elinav, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, said: 'There is this notion
that some bread is better than others. Industrial bread is seen as bad and
home-made sourdough is seen as good.
We found that just like any other food, our responses to bread are completely
personal.
'This
personalised effect is there for every single food. There is not one single
good or bad or super food.'
Sales of
white bread less filling and lower in fibre than wholewheat have slumped by 75
per cent in the past four decades, data has showed.
READ:Consuming butter may double your risk of diabetes
While
retailers are reporting an increased demand for artisan loaves, such as
sourdough bread.
Previous
research has found that those who eat three slices of white bread a day are
more likely to be obese.
Spanish
scientists discovered they were 40 per cent more likely to be overweight than
those who ate it once a week.
The new
findings were presented at the American Association for the Advancement of
Science meeting in Boston.