Oklahoma State University’s Wheat Improvement Team is contributing to a national research effort aimed at improving the nutritional value of wheat and other staple foods through plant breeding and production practices.
The team recently co-authored a paper through its partnership with the Foundation for Innovation in Healthy Food, a collaborative initiative involving multiple universities. The study outlines a framework for using agricultural innovation to improve public health by enhancing the nutritional profile of staple foods without requiring major changes in consumer diets.
The paper, titled "Toward an Emerging Public Health Paradigm: Agriculture and Food Production for Health", was authored by 53 researchers across the United States. It proposes a shift in public health strategy by focusing on food production methods that can increase the health benefits of widely consumed crops.
At the center of the research is wheat, which remains a major source of dietary energy and fiber worldwide. According to the study, wheat-based foods account for 20% of global energy consumption and 30% of dietary fiber intake in the United States.
Researchers said increasing wheat’s fiber content through conventional breeding could help reduce rates of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. The study identifies wheat as a practical starting point for broader agricultural changes that could later be applied to crops such as rice, corn, potatoes, sorghum and plantains.
Brett Carver, OSU Regents professor and wheat genetics chair, said the wheat improvement community has traditionally focused on yield and pest resistance, but consumer demand is increasingly shaping breeding priorities.
Carver said wheat already plays a critical role in supplying energy and fiber in the human diet, and future acceptance of wheat-based foods will depend on making natural improvements to those qualities that could support better health outcomes.
The study’s findings estimate that higher-fiber wheat varieties could generate peak U.S. health care savings of about $12 billion annually. Researchers also project that increased-fiber wheat could help prevent medical conditions affecting 6 million Americans and save more than 60,000 lives each year.
Carver said wheat contains multiple genetic factors that can improve fiber composition, making it a natural fit for collaboration with the broader research community.
Source: Oklahoma State University, "OSU Agriculture is part of a national initiative to make food healthier"