New systematic review reiterates the nutrition and health benefits of breakfast cereals

Good health starts with what you eat and drink.

Achieving a balanced diet which is rich in the nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed to support good health can feel daunting. But often the most important components can be foods which are accessible, affordable and that you’ve been eating almost your whole life. One instance of this is breakfast cereal.

A new systematic review in the scientific journal Nutrients highlights breakfast cereal consumption as not just being helpful in contributing to a balanced diet but also playing a potential role to protect against some chronic diseases. The peer-reviewed report combined the results of 51 published scientific studies funded from academics, governments, and food manufacturers – leading to a comprehensive scientific assessment of breakfast cereals and their impact on public health and their nutritional contributions to the diet.

The findings

The review showed that breakfast cereal consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes in adults and a lower risk of overweight and obesity in children, adolescents and adults.

This is according to a variety of studies featured in the systematic review. The most regular cereal eaters had an eight per cent lower risk of heart disease compared to those who ate the least while a further study found that the risk amongst those consuming the highest amount of whole grain breakfast cereals was 26 per cent lower.

Another study within the review also found regular breakfast consumption is linked to a 22 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

What may account for the positive impact of cereal on health? One reason may be that many breakfast cereals provide significant amounts of essential nutrients, including fibre, iron, B vitamins, and vitamin D, which can be deficient in many diets.

Let us take fibre as an example, a key component of many breakfast cereals. It is a nutrient that has a well-established role in protecting against chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes but unfortunately, consumption levels often fall below the recommended targets. Importantly, breakfast cereals contribute up to seven per cent of the daily fibre intake for the UK population according to the 2016-19 National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).

In the UK, cereals also make a notable contribution to micronutrient intakes, such as B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc. The systematic review echoed the findings of many studies before it – highlighting breakfast cereals as making important contributions to daily iron intakes. The 2016-19 NDNS survey in the UK, reported that breakfast cereals contribute 21 per cent and 16 per cent of iron intake for children and young people respectively. Vitamin D is another micronutrient which is lacking in diets of most Britons. Notably breakfast cereals supply approximately 21 per cent of daily vitamin D intake in children and young people.

Simultaneously, breakfast cereals contribute four-seven per cent to daily free sugar intake in the UK for adults and children. Importantly, manufacturers are continually striving to enhance the nutritional benefits of their products. Since 2015, members of CEEREAL have improved the nutritional content of their recipes by reducing sugar by nine per cent, while increasing whole grain content by 38.6 per cent and fibre by 12.3 per cent.¹

Evidence continues to mount around the benefits of cereal as part of a balanced diet.

This systematic review is an example of this. With the ever-growing concerns over public health outcomes, something as simple as including breakfast cereal in a healthy and balanced diet can be a powerful ally.

It can be a significant source of the essential nutrients that many in the UK are lacking. In government, industry and scientific circles, the conversation continues to evolve around healthy eating. Now is the time to adopt the author’s recommendations to promote whole-grain, higher fibre and lower sugar breakfast cereals as part of a balanced diet through public health messaging.

1. CEEREAL Manifesto 2024-2029: CEEREAL Manifesto 2024-2029: Commitments and policy asks for better breakfast and more sustainable food systems – European Breakfast Cereal Association

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