I confess I'm a whole grain junkie. I'm hooked on dense whole-grain bread, oatmeal, popcorn and shredded wheat. As a kid growing up in Ohio, it was Wheaties, too. I'm sure my mother, who lived to age 96, never dreamed whole grains would become scientifically approved health foods. She fed them to us because they "stuck to your ribs" and tasted good.

That's still the best reason to eat them. And sometimes I add blueberries and walnuts and maple syrup to the oatmeal, and sometimes I brush olive oil on whole-wheat toast. But now I also eat whole grains because I know how good they are for me.

My addiction has recently gained plenty of scientific support. The new U.S. Dietary Guidelines urge eating three daily servings of whole grains, for a total of 48 grams a day. Most Americans eat less than one serving, and about a third of us don't eat any.

Fortunately, the health buzz is spurring manufacturers to produce more whole-grain cereals, breads, pasta, cookies, bagels, tortillas, couscous and even frozen dinners.

If everyone ate more whole grains, instead of wimpy refined grains, then disease rates and early deaths would drop, experts say. Here are six good reasons to join me in making whole grains a daily habit:

Controls weight. Women and men who ate more whole grains consistently gained less weight over an eight- to 12-year period in Harvard studies. Whole grains decrease hunger by making you feel full and by curbing blood sugar spikes that trigger the appetite.

Curbs colon cancer. Women who ate more than 4 1/2 daily servings of whole grains were one-third less apt to develop colon cancer than those who ate less than 1 1/2 servings a day, a new Swedish study finds.

Defeats diabetes. People who eat the most whole grains, especially high-fiber cereals, are 20% to 30% less likely to develop insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, according to research from Tufts, Harvard and the University of Minnesota.

Stops heart disease. Harvard investigators found that men who ate a bowl of whole-grain cereal every day cut their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease by 20%. In another Harvard study, eating high-bran whole grains three times a day cut the risk of heart disease nearly 30%. Researchers declared the bran in cereals particularly potent.

Drops blood pressure. Eating a whole-grain oat cereal, such as oatmeal, every day for three months enabled 73% of those with high blood pressure to reduce or eliminate their need for medication, University of Minnesota investigators reported.

Saves lives. Older women in Iowa who ate whole grains containing 4.7 grams of fiber daily were 17% less likely to die of any cause in an 11-year period than were women who ate refined grains, says a University of Minnesota study.