Dr’s Notes Script:

If you want a healthy heart all your life, make it a point to eat whole-grain breakfast cereals daily.

Researchers studied some 21,000 men over a period of about 20 years. They looked at their intake of breakfast cereals during these years and found that those men who ate whole-grain breakfast cereals 7 or more times a week had a 29% decreased risk of developing heart failure, even after adjusting for other risk factors.

It is interesting that such a small factor in the diet (i.e., eating whole-grain cereals daily) could make such a large impact on one of our nations most serious health problems.

Researchers also looked at the intake of refined cereals. They found no protective benefit from eating refined breakfast cereals (the kind most often chosen by most people, especially children).

Bottom line: For best health, eat 3 or more servings daily. When choosing a whole-grain breakfast cereal, make sure it has at least 5 grams of dietary fiber.

Read the labels. Be sure the first ingredient is a whole grain. Of course, cooked cereals such as steel-cut oats, brown rice, and quinoa are also very excellent whole-grain cereals