Probably. I coauthored a paper on the topic not too long ago. Regardless of whether a high-fat or high-protein or high-carb or…you get the point…diet works best for you, at some point, everyone eats some sort of grain-based food. So, are whole grains worth the hype for weight loss? Let’s look at the science.

For our research, we combed through the published scientific data on eating whole grains (e.g. oats, whole wheat bread, etc.) and body weight. We looked at both observational studies and randomized controlled trials. What are observational studies and randomized controlled trials? As the name suggests, observational studies are studies were the scientists simply observe what happens. There is no experimentation to assess cause and effect. On the other hand, randomized controlled trials are just that: experiments (or trials) that are conducted in a controlled setting and designed to assess a cause and effect relationship. In this case, eating whole grains (cause) on body weight loss (effect). In nutrition science, it’s important to look at both types of studies to get a better idea of what is actually going on.

For whole grain intake and weight loss, we found that eating whole grain foods was linked to lower body weight. This was from the observation studies. However, based on the randomized controlled trials collectively, eating whole grains per se, did not seem to directly cause body weight loss. What does this mean? It could be one or more of several things, including:

1) Eating whole grains is just a marker of healthy habits that are conducive to weight loss and/or lower body weight (i.e. people who eat whole grains do other things besides eating whole grain foods that are actually responsible for making them more lean).

2) The trials that were used to assess the effect of whole grain intake on body weight were flawed in their design. For example, the participants were not given “enough” whole grain foods to see the effect that could happen, or the study was not long enough to really measure actual weight loss due to whole grain intake.

My gut tells me it’s the second option. Most human nutrition trials only last about 4 months because, well, humans don’t like to be told what to eat for much longer than that! So, the 4 month timeframe may not be enough to capture any body weight lowering effect that whole grain intake may have, especially if the effect is small (e.g. 2-5 lb per year). Over 4 months, this is hardly a 1 lb difference, but if you eat whole grains consistently for several years or more, this weight difference can be quite significant. Make sense? So, the jury is still out definitively, but, with the needle pointing slightly toward being helpful for weight loss and definitely for being a nutrient-packed, healthful body fuel, I would absolutely recommend choosing the whole grain version when eating any type of grains. Great choices are the unprocessed versions which include rolled oats, wild rice, quinoa and barley. Check out some of the Whole Grain Council’s recipes here.

Read our full study here.