Healthy Living

By now many of us have heard about the FDA warning to General Mills that its popular cereal, Cheerios, is “misbranded” in a way that makes it sound like a drug to prevent and treat high cholesterol and heart disease.

The FDA specifically takes issue with the following statements found either on the Cheerios label or the General Mills website:

“Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4%?

“Cheerios is ….clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1.5 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”

According to the FDA, a health claim linking soluble fiber from whole grain oats with a lower risk of coronary heart disease along with a statement about lowering total and LDL cholesterol levels is allowed. The FDA cites that the Cheerios label inappropriately separated the heart disease and cholesterol claims.

Another issue, according to the FDA, is that the General Mills web site used language that does not comply with approved health claims.

For example, its approved health claim about heart disease is supposed to mention fiber, fruits, vegetables and a low-fat diet – not just whole grain foods alone.

General Mills was also warned about another statement that links whole grains as part of a low fat diet to a reduced risk of stomach and colon cancers. According to the FDA, this is not an approved health claim.

So what’s all the hype about? Does Cheerios really help lower your cholesterol?

The answer is probably yes, but so do many other foods.

Cheerios’ great taste, low sugar, and fiber content appeal to both adults and kids alike. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines recognize fiber for its beneficial effect in lowering LDL cholesterol and include viscous (soluble) fiber (10-25 gm/day) in the Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet.

What makes Cheerios a good choice for a heart healthy diet? Cheerios is beneficial because it is comprised of oat bran; a source of soluble fiber. But it is important to note that several dietary fiber sources lower LDL cholesterol levels – not just oat fiber alone.

Foods such as apples, barley, beans and other legumes, fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, rice hulls and purified sources like guar gum, pectin and psyllium seed husk, (to name a few) also lower LDL cholesterol. So including a wide variety of these foods/fiber sources in your heart healthy diet makes sense.

Here are some ways you can include soluble fiber sources in your meals and snacks:

- Add kidney beans or chick peas to soups or salads
- Snack on an orange, apple or pear
- Serve brussel sprouts or lima beans for dinner
- Make a pilaf using barley, and lentils
- Substitute oat bran for part of the flour, and prune puree for part of the fat in your favorite muffin recipe
- Consider taking a psyllium husk supplement (i.e., Metamucil) daily.

There are numerous ways to increase your soluble fiber intake. For Cheerios to be effective in reducing your risk of heart disease, as well as total and LDL cholesterol, General Mills recommends having two 1 1⁄2 cup servings of the cereal each day as part of a heart healthy diet.

Although there is nothing wrong with this approach; you may opt for a little more variety in your own diet.

Catherine Schneider is a Registered Dietitian in the Food and Nutrition Department at The William W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Ms. Schneider and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com.