Once again research supports that whole-grain cereal for breakfast is a very healthy choice. In a study presented at the American Heart Association’s 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, 10,469 cereal-eating physicians were studied to determine lifestyle factors and health outcomes over time. Those physicians who ate two to six servings of whole-grain breakfast cereals per week reduced their risk of heart failure by 22 percent. Those who ate seven or more servings per week reduced their risk by 28 percent. That is pretty significant stuff.
Eating only one serving per week isn’t irrelevant. It lowered risk of heart failure by 14 percent. According to the lead author, Luc Djoussé from Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, “the significant health benefits of whole-grain cereal are not just for kids, but also for adults. A whole-grain, high-fiber breakfast may lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol and prevent heart attacks.”
What is particularly interesting here is that the physician subjects actually have fairly good health behaviors. Even so, eating whole grains made a significant difference.
According to Djoussé, "The Physicians' Health Study shows that even in a population with overall healthy behavior, it is possible to see less heart failure in those who eat a whole-grain cereal breakfast."
It might not be eating cereal for breakfast that makes the difference, but it might be the whole-grain cereal itself. So whether you eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack, try to include whole-grain cereal in your day. It will do your heart good.
Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner