The study was conducted over 50 obese adults with 25 male and 25 female between 20 to 65 years of age, and had metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

'Consumption of whole grains has been associated with a lower body weight and lower blood pressure,' said co-author Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State.

'We thought that incorporating whole grains into a heart-healthy weight loss diet may provide the same benefits to people at risk from chronic diseases,' she added.

The participants were divided into two groups where one group to had all of their grain servings from whole grains and other had it from refined grains.

'We asked participants in the whole grain group to focus on foods that had whole grains as the first ingredient,' said lead author Heather Katcher, a Penn State Ph.D. recipient and currently a dietetic intern at Tulane University.

The findings revealed that waist circumference and body weight decreased significantly between 8-11 pounds on average in both groups but weight loss in the abdominal region was notably larger in the whole grain group.

The whole grain group experienced a 38 percent decrease in C-reactive protein levels in their blood.