Researchers from the Maryland Medical Research Institute in Baltimore, found cold cereal with milk to be a very healthy breakfast.
Using data from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth Health Study over a 10-year period, which involved 2,379 African-American and white girls, aged between 9 to 19, they found that those who do not eat cereals on a regular basis have a 13% risk of being overweight, compared to those who eat cereal regularly. The girls were residing in Berkeley, California, Cincinnati, Ohio and Washington, D.C.
The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with support from General Mills, the cereal manufacturer.
The researchers also found that the fat content in non-cereal breakasts taken by the girls was 60% higher than in cereal breakfasts.
The positive effects of consuming cereals regularly have been attributed to the fairly high fiber content in cereals which can make you feel full so much so that you will not eat as much during lunch while the calcium content in milk has been linked to fat burning.
Reference : “Connections between Breakfast and Girls?” Journal of the American Dietetic Association (Sept 2005)
Chapter: Breakfast :: 11 April 2007
