Is intake of breakfast cereals related to total and cause-specific mortality in men?

Low all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risks are associated with high whole-grain breakfast cereal consumption in US adult males.

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between the consumption of refined- and whole-grain breakfast cereals and total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risks in US men. Researchers examined the refined- and whole-grain intakes of 86,190 US male physicians who did not have any history of cancer or cardiovascular diseases for 5.5 years. The total and CVD mortality hazard ratios were determined in all the participants in this study.

Researchers found low total and CVD mortality risks among subjects who regularly consumed whole grains for breakfast. Conversely, increased intake of refined-grain breakfast cereals had little or no effect on total and cardiovascular mortality risks in this study. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that eating large amounts of whole grains for breakfast may decrease US adult males' odds of dying from cardiovascular disorders and other chronic diseases.