A recent study by the Australian Breakfast Cereal Manufacturers Forum (ABCMF)1 sought to understand the last 30 years of breakfast cereal habits, and discovered several benefits to a cereal and milk breakfast.

The landmark study, The Benefits of Breakfast CerealConsumption: A Systematic Review of the Evidence Base, was conducted by Peter Williams, Honorary Professorial Fellow at University of Wollongong and Adjunct Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Canberra, Australia. The study published last month in Advances in Nutrition, the international peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Nutrition.

Among the study’s many exciting findings:

• People who enjoy a breakfast of cereal and milk are more likely to be healthier and slimmer than those who eat other options, or who have no breakfast at all.
• The diets of people who eat cereal for breakfast are more nutritious, and more likely to meet recommended nutrient intakes than people who eat other breakfast options, or who have no breakfast at all.
• People who eat cereal regularly have a lower body mass index (BMI) and a 12 percent lower risk of being overweight or obese.
• Children who eat cereal – including pre-sweetened cereal – show no difference in their overall calorie and sugar intake or risk of being overweight or obese.
• High fiber breakfast cereals help lower total and LDL cholesterol.
• Eating breakfast cereal as a meal or snack can assist with weight loss in adults.

This groundbreaking study clearly shows the many ways cereal-and-milk for breakfast is smart and nutritious – as well as convenient and delicious!

• 1 Kellogg was instrumental in setting up the Australian Breakfast Cereal Manufacturers Forum as part of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, in the interest of promoting the benefits of breakfast cereals.