Bulgur: a whole grain tested once, and cracked wheat tested often

Across 37 randomised trials, whole grains lowered fasting glucose by 0.10 mmol/L, with a confidence interval of 0.18 to 0.03, and bulgur was never analysed separately in that review. That sentence is the strongest thing this page can say, because bulgur itself has been tested on its own only once in the trials we found, and the result was flat. In a 4-week randomised trial, 148 adults aged 25 to 45 with overweight or obesity ate 40 g a day of bulgur, quinoa, buckwheat or rice. Changes in blood and body measurements did not differ between the groups, and glucose iAUC rose within the bulgur group, at a dose that small. Everything else here is about whole grains in general or about cracked wheat, and bulgur is cracked, parboiled whole wheat. In 10 cohorts each 50 g a day of whole grains was associated with 24% lower type 2 diabetes risk, an association rather than a tested effect. The structure argument has a number too. In 10 patients with type 2 diabetes, a mixed meal of parboiled rice, whole kidney beans and bread from whole wheat grains cut the blood glucose area by 42% and insulin by 39% against the same foods ground up. That was a mixed meal, so the grain effect is not isolated.

The numbers, per 100 g

What your body absorbs

• In 16 people with diabetes, breads with a rising share of whole or cracked wheat grains instead of milled flour showed a significant trend to lower glycaemic index and slower in vitro digestion. — 16 volunteers with diabetes (11 men, 5 women, mean age 64), groups of six, test meals after overnight fast (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Trend to lower glycaemic index with more whole cereal grain (p < 0.05); lower in vitro digestibility (p < 0.001)
• When wheat source, particle size and viscosity were matched, whole grain wheat porridges did not lower glycaemic response versus refined wheat in 16 healthy adults, though cracked wheat gave a lower 2-hour glucose iAUC than whole wheat flour. — 16 healthy adults, randomised crossover, six wheat porridges (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Cracked wheat vs whole wheat flour iAUC 0-120 min MD -721 mg min/dL (95% CI -1426 to -16); overall Bayes factors favour no effect
• Adding phytic acid to white wheat bread at the level found naturally in wholemeal bread cut fractional magnesium absorption from 32.5% to 13.0% in healthy adults, and the effect was dose dependent. — 8 to 9 healthy adults per study, two stable-isotope crossover studies, 200 g bread test meals (n = 17) Evidence B source
  Magnesium absorption 32.5% vs 13.0% with 1.49 mmol phytic acid (P < 0.0005); 32.2% vs 24.0% with 0.75 mmol (P < 0.01)
• In 45 young women, adding 50 g or 75 g of pork to a phytate-rich, low vitamin C grain meal raised non-haem iron absorption by 44% and 57%, while 25 g had no significant effect. — 45 healthy women, mean age 24, randomised to 25, 50 or 75 g pork with a basic meal containing 220 mg phytate (n = 45) Evidence B source
  Non-haem iron absorption +44% with 50 g meat and +57% with 75 g (P < 0.001); +2.6 and +3.4 absolute percentage points

What cooking and storage change

• In 10 patients with type 2 diabetes, a meal built on intact structure (parboiled rice, whole kidney beans, bread from whole wheat grains) cut the blood glucose area by 42% and insulin by 39% versus the same nutrients in ground form. — 10 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes, crossover, two mixed meals (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Blood glucose AUC -42% (P < 0.001); plasma insulin -39% (P < 0.01)
• Hydrothermal processing of wheat raised fractional zinc absorption only 1.1-fold in humans, and sprouting did not raise it at all, likely because the phytate to zinc ratio stayed high. — 24 adults (sprouted vs untreated wheat flakes) and 12 adults (hydrothermal vs untreated), dual-isotope crossover (n = 36) Evidence B source
  Zinc absorption 1.1-fold with hydrothermal processing; no significant change with sprouting

What it does to your health

• In a 4-week randomised trial of 148 adults with overweight or obesity eating 40 g/day of bulgur, quinoa, buckwheat or rice, changes in blood and body measurements did not differ between groups, and glucose iAUC rose within the bulgur group. — 148 adults aged 25 to 45 with overweight or obesity, 4 weeks, 40 g/day of one grain (n = 148) Evidence B source
  No significant between-group differences; within-group increase in glucose iAUC on bulgur
• In 37 RCTs whole grains lowered fasting glucose by 0.10 mmol/L, and across 10 cohorts 50 g/day of whole grains was associated with 24% lower type 2 diabetes risk, an association rather than a tested effect. — adults in 10 prospective cohorts and 37 RCTs, search to March 2024 Evidence A source
  T2D RR 0.761 (95% CI 0.700 to 0.828) per 50 g/day; fasting glucose MD -0.103 mmol/L (95% CI -0.178 to -0.028)
• In 46 cohort studies with 1.6 million participants, each extra 30 g/day of whole grains was associated with 6% lower coronary heart disease risk and 6% lower all-cause mortality. — 1,624,407 adults in prospective cohorts, search to March 2022 (n = 1624407) Evidence C source
  Per 30 g/day whole grain: CHD RR 0.94 (95% CI 0.92 to 0.97); CVD RR 0.92 (0.88 to 0.96); all-cause mortality RR 0.94 (0.92 to 0.97)
• Long-term high whole grain intake was associated with 13% lower cardiovascular mortality across 22 cohort studies, about 4% per extra 10 g/day. — 70,273 cardiovascular deaths in 22 prospective cohort studies, search to January 2022 (n = 70273) Evidence C source
  HR 0.87 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.95) for high vs low intake; 4% lower risk per 10 g/day
• In five trials pooled by AHRQ, added whole grain fibre raised total stool weight by 52 g/day versus no added fibre. — adults with normal bowel function in 5 controlled trials of added whole grains Evidence A source
  Total fecal weight summary MD 52 g/day (95% CI 29 to 74)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Bulgur is made from wheat, which US law lists among the major food allergens that must be declared on labels. — US consumers; FDA food allergen labelling page current as of 2026-03-11 Evidence E source
  Wheat is one of the major food allergens under FALCPA; no effect size

What people believe that the data does not support

• FDA permits fibre-containing grain products such as bulgur to carry the claim that low fat diets rich in such foods may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, worded as a disease with many factors. — US food labels, 21 CFR 101.76 model health claim Evidence E source
  Permitted claim; no effect size

Who this works differently for

• In 42 trials of adults with prediabetes or diabetes, raising fibre intake lowered HbA1c by 2.00 mmol/mol and fasting glucose by 0.56 mmol/L. — 1,789 adults with prediabetes, type 1 or type 2 diabetes in 42 trials; 8,300 adults with diabetes in two cohorts (n = 1789) Evidence A source
  HbA1c MD -2.00 mmol/mol (95% CI -3.30 to -0.71); fasting glucose MD -0.56 mmol/L (95% CI -0.73 to -0.38); 14 fewer deaths per 1,000 (95% CI 4 to 19)

The bottom line

Cracked grains may digest differently from flour, and that is the one argument specific to bulgur rather than to whole grains in general. In 16 people with diabetes in 1988, breads with a rising share of whole or cracked wheat grains in place of milled flour showed a trend to lower glycaemic index, with barley and cracked wheat pooled in groups of six. In 16 healthy adults eating six wheat porridges matched for wheat source, particle size and viscosity, whole grain status made little to no difference. Cracked wheat gave a 2-hour glucose iAUC 721 mg min/dL lower than whole wheat flour, with an interval from 1426 to 16 that almost touches zero, and the Bayes factors overall favoured no effect. The mineral story runs the other way. Whole wheat carries phytate, and adding phytate to white bread at the level found in wholemeal bread cut magnesium absorption from 32.5% to 13.0% in 8 to 9 healthy adults per study. Laboratory hydrothermal processing of wheat, which is not the traditional parboiling used for bulgur, raised zinc absorption only 1.1-fold in 12 adults, and sprouting did not raise it at all. Meat on the plate helps iron: in 45 young women, 50 g or 75 g of pork with a phytate-rich rice and wheat roll meal raised non-haem iron absorption by 44% and 57%, and 25 g had no significant effect. Fibre is the plainest benefit. In five trials pooled by AHRQ, added whole grain fibre raised stool weight by 52 g a day, interval 29 to 74, in adults with normal bowel function, mostly from wheat, oats and rice. In 46 cohorts with 1.6 million adults, each extra 30 g a day of whole grains was associated with 6% lower coronary heart disease risk and 6% lower all-cause mortality, observational and pooled across foods. US law lets fibre-containing grain products carry the claim that low fat diets rich in them may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, which is a labelling decision about sufficiency of evidence rather than a measured effect. We found no retention factor for bulgur and no human data on what parboiling wheat does to its nutrients. Who should be careful. Bulgur is wheat, and wheat is one of the eight major food allergens US law requires on labels. It also carries gluten, which matters in coeliac disease. For people with prediabetes or diabetes the direction is favourable: across 42 trials in 1789 adults, raising fibre intake from any source lowered HbA1c by 2.00 mmol/mol and fasting glucose by 0.56 mmol/L, with high heterogeneity. Bulgur gives about 12 g of fibre per 100 g dry. We found no study on bulgur in pregnancy, in children or with any drug, so this page says nothing about them.

Sources

1. bulg-dv2-02 · RCT
   test meals containing varying ratios of whole cereal grains (barley or cracked wheat) to milled flour (75:25, 50:50, 0:100)...Significant trend to lower glycaemic index with increasing proportion of whole cereal grains in test bread (p less than 0.05) and lower in vitro digestibility (p less than 0.001).
   BMJ, 1988 · checked 2026-09-23
2. bulg-dv2-03 · RCT crossover
   Little-to-no differences were observed in glycemic responses, with lower incremental AUC between 0 and 120 min glycemic responses only for semolina [mean difference (MD): -966 mg min/dL; 95% CI: -1775, -156 mg min/dL; P = 0.02) and cracked wheat (MD: -721 mg min/dL; 95% CI: -1426, -16 mg min/dL; P = 0.04) than for whole wheat flour porridge.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-23
3. bulg-dv2-09 · RCT crossover
   The addition of phytic acid lowered fractional apparent magnesium absorption from 32.5 +/- 6.9% (no added phytic acid) to 13.0 +/- 6.9% (1.49 mmol added phytic acid; P < 0.0005) and from 32.2 +/- 12.0% (no added phytic acid) to 24.0 +/- 12.9% (0.75 mmol added phytic acid; P < 0.01).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2004 · checked 2026-09-23
4. bulg-dv2-10 · RCT
   Twenty-five grams meat did not increase nonheme-iron absorption significantly (P = 0.13), whereas absorption increased 44% (P < 0.001) and 57% (P < 0.001), respectively, when 50 and 75 g meat were added to the basic meal.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2003 · checked 2026-09-23
5. bulg-dv2-04 · RCT crossover
   In the second experiment a meal with parboiled rice, red kidney beans, and bread made from whole-wheat grains was compared with a meal of sticky rice, ground red kidney beans, and bread made from ground wheat...the meal with parboiled rice (BG: -42%, P < 0.001; PI: -39%, P < 0.01), respectively, compared with the corresponding high-GI meals.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 1995 · checked 2026-09-23
6. bulg-dv2-11 · RCT crossover
   Sprouting of wheat did not significantly increase fractional Zn absorption, while hydrothermal processing of wheat resulted in a 1.1-fold increase in fractional Zn absorption compared to untreated wheat. The modest if any increase in fractional Zn absorption resulting from sprouting or hydrothermal processing of wheat was likely due to high residual phytate : Zn molar ratios.
   Food Funct, 2025 · checked 2026-09-23
7. bulg-dv2-01 · RCT
   This study was conducted on 148 adults with overweight and obesity, aged between 25 and 45 years, consuming 40 g/d quinoa, buckwheat, rice, or bulgur for 4 weeks...The changes in biochemical and anthropometrical measurements did not differ significantly between groups...An increase in iAUC glucose within the bulgur group but a significant decrease in iAUC insulin among men within the buckwheat group was recorded.
   Metabolites, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
8. bulg-dv2-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs and cohorts
   Cohort studies suggested a 50 g/day whole grain intake reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes (RR = 0.761, 95% CI: 0.700 to 0.828, I2 = 72.39%, P < 0.001)...In RCTs, whole grains significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (Mean difference (MD) = -0.103 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.178 to -0.028; I2 = 72.99%, P < 0.01)
   Nutr J, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
9. bulg-dv2-06 · meta-analysis of cohorts
   Per 30-g increase in daily whole grain consumption, the RRs and 95% CIs of stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), CVD, and all-cause mortality were 0.98 (0.96, 1.00), 0.94 (0.92, 0.97), 0.97 (0.89, 1.07), 0.92 (0.88, 0.96), and 0.94 (0.92, 0.97), respectively.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23
10. bulg-dv2-07 · meta-analysis of cohorts
    We found that a long-term high intake of whole grains (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.80, 0.95; P = 0.001)...Each 10-gram increase in whole grain consumption per day was associated with a 4% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular mortality
    Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23
11. bulg-dv2-12 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    By meta-analysis (Figure 41), total fecal weights were significantly greater with added whole grain fiber versus no added fiber diets: summary MD 52 g/day (95% CI 29 to 74).
    AHRQ 2025, Fiber Intake and Laxation in People With Normal Bowel Function: Systematic Review · checked 2026-09-23
12. bulg-dv2-13 · fact sheet
    This law identified eight foods as major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
    FDA, Food Allergies, page current as of 2026-03-11 · checked 2026-09-23
13. bulg-dv2-14 · regulation
    (1) Low fat diets rich in fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors.
    21 CFR 101.76, Health claims: fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables and cancer · checked 2026-09-23
14. bulg-dv2-08 · meta-analysis of RCTs and cohorts
    Increased fibre intakes reduced glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c; mean difference [MD] -2.00 mmol/mol, 95% CI -3.30 to -0.71 from 33 trials), fasting plasma glucose (MD -0.56 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.73 to -0.38 from 34 trials)
    PLoS Med, 2020 · checked 2026-09-23