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Cereal May Be Best
Breakfast For The Waistline
Women who favor cereal for breakfast tend to weigh less than
their peers who opt for other breakfast foods or who skip the
meal altogether, according to a new study.
Whether cereal directly lends a hand in weight control is unclear,
but the study authors speculate that the fiber, vitamins and minerals
in many boxed cereals may play a role.
Also unknown is why the potential benefit was limited to women.
Among men, neither breakfast cereal nor breakfast consumption
in general had an impact on weight.
Dr. Won O. Song, of Michigan State University in East Lansing,
and her colleagues report the findings in the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association. One of Song's co-authors is with cereal
maker Kellogg, which partially funded the study.
The researchers based their findings on results from a national
health and nutrition survey conducted by U.S. health officials
in 1999-2000. Of the 4,218 adults surveyed, 77 percent were breakfast
eaters, 22 percent of whom favored ready-to-eat cereal.
Among women, those who ate cereal were 30 percent less likely
to be overweight than women who skipped breakfast, even when other
factors, such as exercise and total calorie intake, were considered.
Women who favored other breakfast foods, however, were similar
to their breakfast-shunning peers.
It's not possible to conclude from this study that cereal, per
se, helps in weight control, according to Song and her colleagues.
Still, they note that compared with other breakfast eaters, cereal
fans ate more fiber and less fat -- a dietary pattern that has
been linked to better weight control.
In addition, they point out, the calcium in milk, and often in
cereals themselves, may be important, as research suggests that
the mineral helps keep body fat in check.
Other researchers have speculated that skipping breakfast altogether
may do the waistline more harm than good because people may make
up for it by eating more calorie-laden, fat-filled snacks later
in the day.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, September
2005.
