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Eating
whole-grain breakfast cereals may be
associated with a lower risk of heart
failure for men
Newswise
— Men who consume a higher amount of whole
grain breakfast cereals may have a reduced
risk of heart failure, according to a report
in the October 22 issue of Archives of
Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals.
“The lifetime risk of
heart failure is estimated at 20 percent
(one in five) for both men and women aged 40
years,” according to background information
in the article.
Studies have suggested
that the risk of hypertension, coronary
heart disease, hypercholesterolemia (high
blood cholesterol) and mortality can be
reduced with a diet rich in grain products.
Luc Djoussé, M.D.,
M.P.H., D.Sc. and Michael Gaziano, M.D.,
M.P.H. of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH)
and and Harvard Medical School, Boston,
analyzed the association between breakfast
cereal intake and new cases of heart failure
among 21,376 men (average age 53.7)
participating in the Physician’s Health
Study I.
Cereal intake was
estimated by using a food frequency
questionnaire and incident heart failure was
assessed by annual follow-up questionnaires
for an average of 19.6 years.
During follow-up, 1,018
of the participants experienced heart
failure. This included 362 of 6,995
participants who did not eat any cereal, 237
of 4,987 of those who ate one serving or
less per week, 230 of 5,227 of those who ate
two to six servings per week and 189 of
4,167 of those who ate seven or more
servings per week.
“Our data demonstrate
that a higher intake of whole grain
breakfast cereals is associated with a lower
risk of heart failure,” the authors
conclude. This association may be due to the
beneficial effects of whole grains on heart
failure risk factors such as hypertension,
myocardial infarction [heart attack],
diabetes mellitus and obesity. “If confirmed
in other studies, a higher intake of whole
grains along with other preventive measures
could help lower the risk of heart failure.”
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