Prime Your Pump

Of course, eating whole-grain breakfast cereal alone is not a panacea. "There's no single intervention that will resolve all the problems," says Djousse. For a healthy heart it's also important to work out, shun cigarettes and avoid drinking more than two alcoholic beverages a day (for men) or more than one alcoholic beverage a day (for women). "We have to consider total lifestyle. Don't smoke, exercise regularly, make sure you get a physician's checkup. If you have high blood pressure, control it. And eat a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables and the right kind of protein," says Stokes.

And as always, buyer beware. Djousse recommends looking for cereal that contains four or more grams per serving, rather than just looking for the words whole grain. (Though he didn't specifically study whether it's good to add some cut-up fresh fruit, he thinks it's a nice idea—especially if it keeps someone from adding sugar for extra sweetness.)

It's important to read the fine print on labels, experts say. "I would caution people that the words 'made with whole grain' could mean a fleck of whole grain. It could be made mostly with white flour," says Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Look for a label that says '100 percent whole grain,' or read the ingredients and make sure the ingredient list says 'whole grain wheat,' 'whole grain corn'." Some companies are adding refined fibers, including cellulose, which may not convey the same benefits. "It's never going to say 'cellulose'," says Liebman. "It will say things like 'wheat fiber'." (In the United States, foods considered "whole grain" officially contain at least 51 percent of whole-grain ingredients per serving.)

Don't get carried away, either. Stick to a half-cup to a cup of cereal. "It's easy to go beyond what a serving is," says Liebman. Sadly, a serving is often the size of a tennis ball—or less. If you overdo it, you'll gain weight. "You're going to offset the benefits," says Djousse. "The key thing is portion size." Djousse eats oat or bran cereal for breakfast, and he always avoids refined sugar, which raises insulin levels "and makes you hungry within an hour," he says. If he's in a rush he may just eat an apple. But he notes that whole-grain cereal, unlike fruit, also contains healthy polyunsaturated fat. He also skips juice, since it's high in sugar. And he bypasses bacon, which is high in saturated fat.

© 2007