Wheat flour

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Anaemia and iron levels³

  In people, wheat flour with added iron may make little or no difference to anaemia or iron deficiency.

• Open question

  Vitamin A deficiency⁴

  Mill-rolled wheat flour can be fortified with vitamin A, though big gaps remain in what is known.

• Benefit

  Anaemia in the general population⁵

  Iron-fortified wheat flour may lower anaemia risk, but scientists do not yet know its effects on other health outcomes.

• Concern

  Heart health and bread⁷

  Eating more refined wheat flour bread has been linked to higher risk of heart problems and death.

• Benefit

  Calcium intake shortfall⁹

  Adding calcium to wheat flour could cut low calcium intake in many Argentinians, though older people may still fall short.

• Open question

  Zinc levels in the body¹⁰

  Scientists are testing whether wheat flour with extra zinc helps raise zinc levels in women and teens.

• Benefit

  Iron absorption from food¹¹

  In women, wheat flour foods fortified with iron gave better iron absorption when eaten with lemonade.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Fibre in white bread²⁰

  White flour could be bred to hold more fibre, which may slow how fast bread sugar hits the blood.

• Benefit

  Colon cancer cells²¹

  In lab studies, some wheat flours slowed colon cancer cells, but this was not tested in people.

• Benefit

  Mineral absorption from bread²²

  Wheat flour keeps more iron and zinc when wholemeal, and bread making helps the body absorb them.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Nutrient levels in fortified foods¹³

  Fortified wheat flour and other foods can add vitamins and minerals to diets without going over safe amounts.

• No harm found

  Heavy metal exposure levels¹⁵

  Wheat flour contained small amounts of metals like lead and cadmium, but well below the levels considered risky.

• Open question

  Nutrient levels in noodles¹⁶

  Instant noodles made with fortified wheat flour kept most added vitamins and minerals, though not thiamin.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Grain contamination near smelters¹⁴

  Wheat flour grown near a lead smelter held cadmium and lead above safe levels, especially in whole wheat flour.

How it’s made and used

• Toxin levels in food⁶

  Most wheat flour samples contained deoxynivalenol, but eating it added little to people's daily intake.

• Fortification programs falling short⁸

  Most countries add the wrong kind of iron to wheat flour, so these programs likely do little to raise iron levels.

• Cake texture and taste¹²

  Swapping wheat flour for green pea waste flour made cakes denser and harder, and tasters liked them less above a certain level.

• Dough thickening behavior¹⁷

  Adding buckwheat or millet to wheat flour changes how the dough thickens, sets and holds together.

• Gluten protein makeup¹⁸

  In lab studies, wheat flour gliadin extract also contained glutenins and avenin-like proteins.

• How much the body absorbs¹⁹

  In lab studies, only a small share of cooked whole-wheat pasta's polyphenols may be absorbed by the small intestine.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.