The pasta is made from a mixture of durum wheat flour, the standard for most pastas, and whole-grain barely flour which is rich in a fibre called beta-glucan CARB lovers rejoice! Scientists have created a new pasta that is good for us. The new type of pasta was found to enhance the production of new blood vessels Most advice will tell you that gorging on too much spaghetti or carbonara isn't good for your health, but this new take on the beige treat could protect your heart. And the trick is all the in the ingredients. The pasta is made from a mixture of durum wheat flour, the standard for most pastas, and whole-grain barely flour which is rich in a fibre called beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is known to enhance the growth of new blood vessels, which helps promote good blood flow through the body. The blood vessels form "natural bypasses" to the heart if you have a heart attack And with good blood flow comes a healthier heart. According to the researchers in Pisa, the blood vessels form "natural bypasses" to the heart if you have a heart attack. The scientists, from Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, tested their theory on mice and found those that had been fed the barley pasta were more likely to survive a heart attack. But the group of mice only fed ordinary pasta were less likely to survive. Tests on mice showed that eating the pasta could also prevent heart damage in the event of a cardiac arrest The mice who ate the barley pasta also suffered less damage to their heart in the event of a cardiac arrest. Study author, Professor Vincenzo Lionetti, said the new pasta can make the body "more resistant to stress and to coronary artery disease". "So far, techniques to promote collateral artery growth required surgical treatments, the use of stem cells extracted from bone marrow or gene therapy," he said. "Our study has directly tested the hypothesis that Barley glucan-enriched pasta may serve as 'biologic bypass' to enhance a healthy heart". Previous studies have shown that pasta lovers are healthier as they eat less sugar and more nutrients than those who shun carbs The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports. A previous study has found that pasta lovers are healthier as they eat far less sugar and more nutrients compared to those who shun carbs. Evidence presented at The Obesity Society's annual meeting revealed pasta munchers are consuming greater amounts of shortfall nutrients, including folate, iron, magnesium and dietary fibre. Researchers looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of US adults over the age of 19 to determine if nutrient shortfalls were linked to eating pasta. They discovered eating pasta was linked to better intake of vitamins and minerals and a more balanced diet. Source