Prospective associations between cereal intake in childhood and body fat, waist size, blood pressure, lipids and physical activity in late adolescence

Abstract

Past work showed that cereal consumption is associated with reduced body mass index and improved nutrient intake. The present study built upon past work by examining prospective associations between cereal intake in childhood and health outcomes in late adolescence (body fat, waist size, blood pressure, lipids and physical activity). The study used data from the NHLBI Growth and Health Study (NGHS), including 2,379 females enrolled at ages 9 or 10 and interviewed annually for 10 years. An estimate of the cumulative percent of days that each girl consumed cereal during childhood (based on 3-day food diaries collected in study years 3-10, ages 11.5 to 18.6) was related to health outcomes measured in study year 10. Nearly all girls (90.1%) reported eating cereal and 18.7% reported eating cereal on half or more of the days reported in the food diaries. Girls who ate cereal on a greater percentage of days during childhood had lower body fat, smaller waist-to-hip ratio, and lower total and HDL cholesterol, and they were more likely to exhibit high levels of physical activity (p's<0.05). This work points to cereal consumption in childhood as a component of a healthy lifestyle associated with positive health outcomes. This research was supported by a grant from General Mills, Inc. to Maryland Medical Research Institute.