Abstract

Background: To examine the relationship between ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal consumption habits and body mass index (BMI) of a nationally representative sample of Canadians. Methods: Population-based survey of Canadians aged 12 years and older. Participants provided 7-day self-reported food diary records during the data collection period of October 2003 through September 2004. Height and weight of the respondents was also reported. Main outcome measures included frequency of RTE cereal consumption, Body Mass Index (BMI), and nutrient intakes. The sample population of 2926 aged 12 years and older was divided into three groups by frequency of RTE cereal consumption over the 7-day period: 0-1 serving, 2-3 servings and 4+ servings. Results: The RTE cereal intake ranged from 0 to greater than 8 servings over the 7 days. Males who consumed 4+ servings of RTE Cereal had significantly lower mean BMI measures than the ones who consumed 0-1 serving (P < 0.006). Significantly lower proportion of Canadians who consumed 4+ serving of RTE cereal were classified as overweight or obese than those who consumed 0-1 servings in seven days (p = 0.011). Higher cereal intake group also had favourable nutrient intake profiles than the lower cereal intake group and were more likely to meet micronutrient intake recommendations. Conclusion: Self-reported RTE cereal consumption is related to lower BMI and improved nutrient intake in Canadians aged 12 years and older.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.