The benefits of whole grains have been touted for ages: They're fiber-rich (so they're great for your digestive system), and they have also been linked to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels. It's probably no surprise, then, that a new review has found that eating whole grains may actually extend your life.The analysis, published in the journal Circulation , is the first of its kind to study the link between whole-grain intake and mortality. It included results from 12 published studies in the U.S., U.K., and Scandinavian countries, looking at a total of more than 786,000 participants.The results showed that people who ate at least 70 grams (or about four servings) of whole grains per day had a 22% lower risk of total mortality, a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, and a 20% lower risk of cancer mortality compared with those who ate little or no whole grains.Although the findings were derived from a limited number of countries and it isn't known whether the results apply to other geographic locations, they support current dietary guidelines that recommend at least three daily servings (or 48 grams) of whole grains to improve overall health, Qi Sun , MD, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and senior author of the study, said in a press release