The humble sandwich and your morning bowl of cereal may be as powerful as drugs in reducing your risk of heart disease - that's if you opt for wholegrain varieties.

This is one of the key findings in The Grains & Legumes Health Report, which was launched today, in Adelaide, by the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Mr Mark Butler.

The report is a review of the latest scientific evidence on the health benefits of grains and legumes, and was co-authored by Go Grains Health & Nutrition and Associate Professor Peter Williams, University of Wollongong.

Professor Williams said it was clear that wholegrain foods could make a significant contribution to preventing our most serious and costly diseases.

"Studies in this report show eating just 2-3 serves of wholegrain foods a day -- the equivalent to 2-3 slices of wholegrain bread -- could reduce the risk of developing chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers by 20-30 per cent," Professor Williams said.

"Importantly, it's a preventative health measure that is affordable and includes foods that are readily available at the supermarket."

Author of the Report's foreword, and Chief Research Scientist with CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship, Dr David Topping said the new Report suggested an even greater role for wholegrains in the prevention of heart disease than previously thought.

"Wholegrains could be a very useful option in lowering the risk of heart disease. Published research shows eating 2-4 serves of wholegrain foods a day can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 40% -- equal to the effect of cholesterol lowering drugs," Dr Topping said.

"There's also consistent evidence that a diet rich in wholegrain foods could play a role in weight management, lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of some cancers, and slowing or even stopping the progression of diabetes.

"These conditions represent some of our biggest causes of death and disability, and their enormous scale means the whole population is at risk. When we look at managing these serious issues prevention, not cure, is the preferred option."

Go Grains Health & Nutrition Chair Dr Michele Allan urged Australians to increase their wholegrain intake.

"Our research shows, on average, we are eating about one and a half serves of wholegrains a day - around half of what's needed to gain the optimum health benefits," Dr Allan said.

Professor Williams said if every Australian ate the equivalent of three slices of wholemeal bread a day, the resulting health benefits could theoretically cut the nation's yearly health bill by $1.2 billion dollars.

Wholegrains contain fibre, protein, vitamins (particularly B-group vitamins including folate, and vitamin E), minerals (notably iron, zinc and magnesium), and antioxidants to help protect against disease.

Wholegrains - Our Daily Bread For Disease Prevention

Wholegrain foods include wholemeal and multigrain breads and crispbreads, wheat-flake and wholegrain breakfast cereals, natural muesli, oats, brown rice, wholegrain pasta, rice cakes, popcorn, and muesli bars.

The dietary guidelines recommend Australians eat at least "4+ serves a day" of grain-based foods, preferably wholegrain. That is as easy as having wholegrain cereal for breakfast, a wholemeal sandwich or roll for lunch, snacking on a muesli bar or crispbreads, and eating pasta or rice with your evening meal.

The Grains & Legumes Health Report also outlined the latest emerging science, which shows eating wholegrain foods may help prevent asthma and gum disease. There is also suggestive evidence a diet rich in wholegrains can improve mood and cognitive function.

The health benefits of legumes are also reviewed in the report with epidemiological studies showing that eating legumes can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and improve gut health.