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Breakfast cereals and risk of heart failure in the physicians' health study I

Luc Djoussé1, J Michael Gaziano

  • 1Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1620 Tremont St, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02120, USA. ldjousse@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Archives of Internal Medicine
|October 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Higher intake of whole grain breakfast cereals is linked to a reduced risk of heart failure (HF). This dietary pattern may offer protection against HF hospitalization in older adults.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Nutritional Epidemiology
  • Dietary Risk Factors

Background:

  • Heart failure (HF) is a primary cause of hospitalization in the elderly US population.
  • Dietary fiber and grain consumption are associated with reduced hypertension and myocardial infarction risk.
  • The specific relationship between breakfast cereal intake and HF risk remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between breakfast cereal consumption and the incidence of heart failure.
  • To determine if different types of cereals (whole grain vs. refined) impact HF risk.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study involving 21,376 participants from the Physicians' Health Study I.
  • Breakfast cereal intake assessed via semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires.
  • Incident HF cases identified through annual follow-ups and validated using Framingham criteria; Cox regression analysis employed.

Main Results:

  • A significant inverse association was observed between higher weekly consumption of breakfast cereals and HF risk (P<.001 for trend).
  • Hazard ratios for HF decreased with increasing cereal intake, with 7+ servings/week showing the lowest risk (HR=0.71).
  • This protective association was specifically linked to whole grain cereals, not refined cereals (P=.70 for trend).

Conclusions:

  • Increased consumption of whole grain breakfast cereals is associated with a lower risk of developing heart failure.
  • Further research is needed to validate these findings and identify the specific protective nutrients in whole grains.
  • Dietary recommendations may benefit from emphasizing whole grain cereal intake for cardiovascular health.
Abstract

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