HHS HealthBeat (January 29, 2008)

Cereal for breakfast?

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Breakfast is called the most important meal of the day. How about high-fiber cereal for breakfast? A study in Archives of Internal Medicine says increased amounts of high-fiber cereals may indeed reduce the risk of diabetes.

Julie Palmer of the Boston University Slone Epidemiology Center bases that on a 10-year study of 59,000 African American women.

The researchers found that women who ate the most cereal had an 18 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than did women who ate the least cereal.

``I would recommend that women begin substituting whole-grain breads and cereals for white bread and low-fiber cereals. Perhaps the easiest change is to begin eating a bowl of high-fiber cereal for breakfast each morning.’’ (12 seconds)

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: January, 28 2008