A bowl of oatmeal, a sandwich made with whole grain bread and a serving of brown rice could offer broader health benefits than many people realize, according to a large new analysis examining whole grain consumption and cardiovascular risk factors.

Eating four to six servings of whole grains daily may provide the greatest heart health benefits. Researchers linked that intake with reductions in body weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.

The meta analysis, published in the European Heart Journal, reviewed 87 randomized trials involving more than 6,500 participants. The trials included people in Asia, Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and Brazil.

Researchers found that many of the largest benefits appeared when participants consumed approximately 60 to 100 grams of whole grains each day. They said that amount could come from oatmeal, two slices of whole grain bread and a serving of brown rice.

"This is the largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on whole-grain intake and cardiovascular risk factors," lead author Helda Tutunchi, of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran, said in a statement.

People who consumed more whole grains had lower body weight and waist circumference, according to the analysis. They also had lower blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose.

The findings extended to interleukin-6, an inflammatory marker measured in the research. Participants who ate more whole grains also had lower levels of that marker.

Tutunchi said an important takeaway was that whole grains appeared to support cardiovascular health through "several modest improvements acting together, rather than through one large effect on a single factor."

The researchers also identified important limitations. Most of the studies included in the analysis were short and did not directly measure heart attacks or strokes, leading the researchers to call for longer term research.

The amount associated with the greatest benefits exceeds current recommendations. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend two to four servings of whole grains, while the analysis pointed to the strongest results at four to six servings.

Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in South Carolina, noted that many Americans do not reach even the current recommendation. Manaker was not involved in the study.

"Going from zero to six is a lot," Manaker told Fox News Digital. "My recommendation is to start slow. Two servings is better than zero servings."

She suggested simple dietary changes rather than an immediate leap to six servings. Options include beginning the day with oatmeal or overnight oats and replacing refined grain side dishes with whole grain choices such as sorghum or brown rice.

Manaker also cautioned shoppers against assuming every brown loaf in a supermarket is made with whole grains. Color alone does not establish whether a bread provides the ingredients and fiber consumers are seeking.

"We want to look at the ingredient list and make sure one of the first ingredients is a whole grain," she said. "We also want to look at the nutrition panel and make sure there's some fiber in there."

Whole grains retain all three portions of the grain kernel, which are the bran, germ and endosperm. Refined grains have some of those components removed during processing, the researchers noted.

Although additional studies are needed, the researchers described increasing whole grain consumption as "a relatively simple, accessible and affordable dietary strategy" that can be used alongside other habits supporting heart health.

An accompanying editorial from Cecilie Kyro of the Danish Cancer Institute in Copenhagen and her colleagues addressed the wider food environment. They encouraged policies making minimally processed whole grain staples accessible, affordable and culturally acceptable while "avoiding a drift towards ultra-processed products."

The findings present several practical options for people who want to add whole grains without radically changing every meal. Oatmeal, whole grain bread, brown rice and sorghum were among the foods highlighted in the report or Manaker’s recommendations.

The study authors did not claim that the foods directly prevent heart attacks or strokes, which were not measured in most of the reviewed trials. Instead, the analysis connected higher whole grain intake with modest improvements across several cardiovascular risk markers.