Breakfast cereal consumption patterns and nutrient intakes of British schoolchildren

Breakfast cereals are nutrient-dense foods that are also low in fat. They could theoretically contribute to lowering the percentage energy from fat in the diet whilst enhancing the intake of certain nutrients. This project is based on a further analysis of dietary data (seven day weighed intakes) from 2705 British schoolchildren (DoH, 1989) and examines the relationship between breakfast cereal consumption and total daily nutrient intakes. The children were grouped according to amount of cereal consumed per day (none; less than 20 g; 20-40 g; over 40 g) and results examined for each age group (10-11 and 14-15 years) in boys and girls separately. For the nutrients examined there was a highly significant and graded increase in vitamin and mineral intake with increasing cereal consumption and a simultaneous reduction in energy from fat from 39-40% amongst non-consumers to 36-37% among children consuming a portion of cereal or more per day. Body mass index tended to be lower in the frequent breakfast cereal eaters. In conclusion, children who eat breakfast cereal tend to have more desirable nutrient intakes than those who do not.