A preliminary study presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, Bulgaria this month showed a growing link between the daily consumption of white bread and obesity. The study claims that individuals who consume two or more servings of white bread a day are 40 percent more likely to become overweight or obese five years down the line, when compared to individuals who consume white bread only around once a week.

The study, conducted by a team at the University of Navarra, examined the eating habits of 9 267 Spanish graduate students over the course of 5 years. The team surveyed the participants with a questionnaire of 136 food items and monitored their weight gain over the five year time period.

While the study does not show a causal relationship of white bread to obesity, it does show a strong positive correlation. The link, according to study lead author Professor Miguel Martinez-Gonzales, has to do with the types of carbohydrates present in white bread, as opposed to whole wheat bread.

White bread is made from highly refined flour, which is absorbed very quickly and readily by the human digestive system.

“Essentially it is equivalent to a high consumption of sugar,” said Martinez-Gonzalez. “The problem is similar to what we see with soft drinks, their sugars are rapidly transformed into fat an organism. 

The body turns refined grains such as white bread into sugar almost as soon as they are ingested.

“It is this feeling that leaves you wanting more. When white bread is a staple food, eating at one or two main meals a day then this is a lot of extra calories on a daily basis.” said Martinez-Gonzalez.

This comes shortly after a release by Cornell University citing the link between high consumption of white bread and increased risk of heart-related problems. The researchers recommend eating whole wheat bread rather than white bread, as it contains important nutritional components including fibre, vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, the carbohydrates in whole wheat bread are broken down and absorbed more slowly in the body.