The large study involved a total of over 9,000 youngsters. The aim was to look at the relationship between breakfast skipping as well as type of breakfast consumed with nutrient intake, nutritional adequacy and body weight. The researchers used cross-sectional data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2006, which is a similar type of survey to the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).
The study found that:
• Prevalence of obesity was higher in breakfast skippers than cereal consumers in both children and adolescents. Among adolescents, the prevalence of obesity was higher among those who consumed other types of breakfast than those who ate breakfast cereal.
• Breakfast skippers also had higher body mass index-for-age and a higher waist circumference than those who consumed breakfast cereals or other types of breakfast.
• Breakfast cereal consumers had a healthier nutrient intake and more favourable body weight than those who skipped breakfast or consumed different types of breakfast.
• Those consuming breakfast cereal had lower intakes of total fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of total carbohydrate, dietary fibre and several micronutrients than breakfast skippers and those consuming other types of breakfast.
• The cereal consumers had the most adequate intake of vitamins and minerals while the breakfast skippers had the least adequate intake.
• 20% of children and 31.5% of adolescents were breakfast skippers.
• 35.9% of children and 25.4% of adolescents consumed ready to eat breakfast cereal.
Nigel Denby comments:
It’s great to read a good news story about Breakfast cereal for once- All too often we hear negative, ill informed comments about cereals when in fact a bowl of cereal and milk has to be one of the healthiest fast food options around. Milk provides calcium and protein, cereals provide long lasting carbohydrate energy and a variety which is fortified with vitamins and minerals helps children reach their daily requirements for B vitamins and iron. Labelling helps parents choose brands with lower amounts of salt and sugar. Ideally look for with less than 1.5g salt per 100g and les than 15g sugar per 100g.
