(P31-050-23) The Relationship of Ready-to-eat Cereal Intake and Body Weight in Adults and Children: A Systematic Review

Objectives: Ready-to-eat cereal is a frequent breakfast choice among children and adolescents, but intake typically declines in adulthood. Results from observational studies in children and adults have reported an inverse association of frequency of RTEC consumption with body weight and/or odds of overweight/obesity. Yet, randomized controlled trials in these populations have been few and have not consistently demonstrated a causal relationship between RTEC consumption and body weight outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of RTEC on body weight outcomes in children and adults.

Methods: Prospective cohort, cross-sectional and controlled trials in children, adolescents, or adults were included. A search of PubMed and CENTRAL databases from 2000 – present yielded 33 relevant observational studies and 18 randomized controlled trials. Twenty-three studies were in children or adolescents, 26 studies were in adults and 2 studies included both children and adults.

Results: The majority of observational studies demonstrated children and adults consuming RTEC had healthier body weights/BMI, lower odds of overweight/obesity, and more favorable indicators of abdominal obesity compared to non-consumers or less frequent RTEC consumers. All RCTs in children provided RTEC in the context of an ad libitum diet, while most studies in adults provided RTEC as a meal or snack replacement in the context of a hypocaloric diet. There were no significant differences between RTEC and non-RTEC groups in body weight outcomes when the RTEC was provided in the context of ad libitum diets in adults or children. RTEC as a meal or snack replacement in a hypocaloric diet did not result in greater weight loss but did improve diet quality in the context of an energy-restricted diet.

Conclusions: Results from observational studies support the inclusion of RTEC in a healthy dietary pattern in children and adults due to inverse associations with adverse body weight outcomes. Available clinical trial results have not demonstrated evidence of weight loss benefits but were limited by short intervention periods, which may not have been sufficient to detect modest effects that may occur over extended periods.

Funding Sources: Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, General Mills, Inc.