Corn Flakes For Breakfast? Think Again!
Posted on Jul 6th 2009 1:00PM by Jonny BowdenFiled Under: Jonny's Take, Nutrition & Supplements
Jonny Bowden, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life.
I've ranted about high sugar cereals for years. Even those masquerading as "healthy" cereals are usually high-glycemic (meaning they raise blood sugar quickly), and they contribute to weight gain, cravings and ultimately, lower energy.
And most of these cereals are fiber lightweights, despite the fact that we're constantly being sold on the notion of cereals as "high fiber" foods. With the exception of Fiber One, UltraFiber, Bran Flakes and a few others, most commercial cereals only contain a gram or two of fiber, which is one of the reasons they're so "high glycemic" in the first place.
Now a new study has shown that high-glycemic foods like cornflakes are not only bad for the waistline -- they're also bad for the heart.
Researchers looked at four groups of volunteers. One group ate a cornflake mush mixed with milk -- not unlike the typical American breakfast. The second group was given a pure sugar mixture, the third got bran flakes and the last group was given a placebo (water).
Over four weeks, Dr. Michael Shechter and his research team applied a test that allowed them to visualize how the arteries were functioning. It's called "brachial reactive testing," and it uses a cuff on the arm, like what's used to measure blood pressure, which can visualize arterial function in real time.
The results were dramatic. Before any of the patients ate, arterial function was essentially the same. After eating, except for the placebo group, all had reduced functioning. Enormous peaks indicating arterial stress were found in the high-glycemic index groups: The cornflakes and sugar group.
"We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how," says Dr. Shechter. "Foods like cornflakes, white bread, French fries, and sweetened soda all put undue stress on our arteries. We've explained for the first time how high glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease."
During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries. Endothelial health can be traced back to almost every disorder and disease in the body. It is "the riskiest of the risk factors," says Dr. Shechter.
Dr. Shechter recommends sticking to foods like oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, which have a low glycemic index. How interesting that the same kinds of foods that keep your weight down also protect your heart.
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| Photo: TheBusyBrain, Flickr |
And most of these cereals are fiber lightweights, despite the fact that we're constantly being sold on the notion of cereals as "high fiber" foods. With the exception of Fiber One, UltraFiber, Bran Flakes and a few others, most commercial cereals only contain a gram or two of fiber, which is one of the reasons they're so "high glycemic" in the first place.
Now a new study has shown that high-glycemic foods like cornflakes are not only bad for the waistline -- they're also bad for the heart.
Researchers looked at four groups of volunteers. One group ate a cornflake mush mixed with milk -- not unlike the typical American breakfast. The second group was given a pure sugar mixture, the third got bran flakes and the last group was given a placebo (water).
Over four weeks, Dr. Michael Shechter and his research team applied a test that allowed them to visualize how the arteries were functioning. It's called "brachial reactive testing," and it uses a cuff on the arm, like what's used to measure blood pressure, which can visualize arterial function in real time.
The results were dramatic. Before any of the patients ate, arterial function was essentially the same. After eating, except for the placebo group, all had reduced functioning. Enormous peaks indicating arterial stress were found in the high-glycemic index groups: The cornflakes and sugar group.
"We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how," says Dr. Shechter. "Foods like cornflakes, white bread, French fries, and sweetened soda all put undue stress on our arteries. We've explained for the first time how high glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease."
During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries. Endothelial health can be traced back to almost every disorder and disease in the body. It is "the riskiest of the risk factors," says Dr. Shechter.
Dr. Shechter recommends sticking to foods like oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, which have a low glycemic index. How interesting that the same kinds of foods that keep your weight down also protect your heart.
