Do Cheerios Really Lower Cholesterol?
Cheerios claims that “eating Cheerios each day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, can help lower your cholesterol, and that could help reduce your risk of heart disease.” In fact, the labeling says, “you can lower your cholesterol four percent in six weeks.” Is this true?!
Last week, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) came out with a statement saying they were a bit miffed with Cheerios’ claim. These claims, they say, can only be permitted on medications that have been approved by the FDA.
The Center for Public Interest in Science applauded the action taken by the FDA and said that it was long overdue. The study which Cheerios had pointed to as supporting its claim was – surprise surprise! – funded by General Mills (Cheerios’ maker) itself in 2005!
Instead, Cheerios can only say, according to the FDA, that “eating diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in fiber-containing fruit, vegetable, and grain products may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
So, you can have your Cheerios and eat them too. . . they’re just not going to change your life!
Read on:
CSPI Newsroom - FDA Cracks Down on Cheerios’ Misleading Cholesterol Claims
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As some proponent of fisticuffs once said, “It ain’t braggin’ if its true.” The FDA should leave General Mills and Cheerios alone. Cheerios are good for you, your heart, and your total cholesterol. I have no science credentials to support my claim but I do know this: I have eaten a bowl of Cheerios literally almost every day of my life since I was a toddler and my cholesterol was 92 last I checked. The doctors had to check and re-check my different cholesterol measurements and compare with my other data to get a big picture and to confirm they hadn’t made any mistakes. Will people suffer adverse health consequences by eating some Cheerios perhaps instead of bacon and eggs or donuts and coffee one morning? No. Have people suffered from using or simply relying on FDA-approved medications marketed to treat high cholesterol. Yes. Focus, FDA, focus.