If you think whole grains is a term only used for cereal and bread, think again. Whole grains also include delicious foods such as popcorn, oats, and quinoa. And researchers are uncovering promising new evidence suggesting these foods can promote longevity by preventing cardiovascular disease, according to Live Science. In fact, a prominent study, known as The Nurse’s Health Study, included data collected from roughly 74,000 participants over the course of decades.

The first significant finding was that a diet with 28 grams of whole grains per day corresponded with a 9% lower risk of cardiovascular-related death. Second, those who ate the bran component of whole grains had the greatest protective effects from dying of cardiovascular disease. Third, those who ate a serving of whole grains instead of a serving of red meat reduced mortality risk by 20%.

“If you are really looking into whole-grain consumption [in relation to] other diseases, stroke, heart disease, and colorectal cancer, whole grains are consistently associated with [a] lower risk of those diseases,” Dr. Qi Sun, an assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, tells Live Science.