Ancient grain

Ancient grains are grain varieties that are thousands of years old and have not been modified by breeding. Ancient grains include einkorn, emmer, spelt and khorasan=kamut. In addition to these types of wheat, there are also ancient rye and barley varieties, such as perennial rye and ancient barley. Also millet.

Compared to modern cereals, e.g. soft wheat, the old cereal varieties yield less per area, but are more resistant to environmental conditions and parasites, have a higher content of proteins, minerals and fiber and are better tolerated by patients with sensitive gastrointestinal tracts(irritable bowel syndrome). Furthermore, positive effects on hyperlipidemia, insulin response and diabetes mellitus are described.

Apart from millet, these cereals are not suitable for coeliac patients due to their gluten content, but the equally old pseudocereals quinoa and buckwheat are.

1. Aweya JJ et al. (2025) Ancient Grains as Functional Foods: Integrating Traditional Knowledge with Contemporary Nutritional Science. Foods 18;14(14):2529. doi: 10.3390/foods14142529. PMID: 40724346; PMCID: PMC12294667.
2. Magi CE et al. (2024) Use of ancient grains for the management of diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 May;34(5):1110-1128. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.03.005. Epub 7. PMID: 38553358.
3. Trozzi C et al. (2017) Evaluation of antioxidative and diabetes-preventive properties of an ancient grain, KAMUT® khorasan wheat, in healthy volunteers. Eur J Nutr;58(1):151-161. doi: 10.1007/s00394-017-1579-8. Epub 2017 Nov 16. PMID: 29143934; PMCID: PMC6424920.