A new study has found that the consumption of whole grains can help in improving the life span of a person and decrease his/her risk of death by as much as 15 percent.

The study was conducted by the researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

According to the researchers, eating whole grains mainly helps in lowering the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular problems remarkably.

Grains such as bran help in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 20 percent.

Senior study author Qi Sun, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, said, “This research work endorses the current dietary guidelines that promotes consumption of whole grains as one of the major healthful foods for prevention of major chronic diseases.”

For the new study, the researchers involved 74,000 women and 43,000 men and looked at their data from prior studies conducted between mid-1980s and 2010. It was found that the replacement of refined grains with whole grains helped in boosting the health tremendously. Moreover, avoiding red meat and switching to diet having whole grain greatly contributed in improving health condition. However, the researchers found no correlation between whole grains consumption and overall cancer risk.

A huge range of beneficial nutrients is present in the whole grains. These nutrients include: fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, phytochemicals and many more.

The findings of study were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.