A Breakfast Staple That Blocks Heart Failure

Fruit, veggies, exercise -- they all make the heart-healthy list. And now, according to a new study, so does this breakfast staple: cereal.

But we're not talking about Cocoa Puffs. We're talking about whole-grain cereals -- like steel-cut oats, shredded wheat, or muesli. Men in a study who noshed at least once a week on whole-grain cereals were significantly less likely to experience heart failure.

Longer Life in Every Bowl?
Several studies suggest that it's the fiber in whole-grain cereals that may quell risk factors for heart failure, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and obesity. The other heart-protective habits addressed in the study: maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, drinking alcohol only in moderation, and not smoking. (Here's another health benefit to eating breakfast cereal.)

A Combo Protects Best
Men who practiced at least four of the six lifestyle habits on the study's heart-healthy list cut their risk for heart failure in half. So start stacking the odds in your heart's favor with these heart-helping strategies:

• Sneak more fruits and veggies into your day with tips from this video.
• Find out how even a minimal amount of exercise may help protect your heart.
• Get the whole scoop on alcohol -- who it hurts, who it helps -- with this article.

Take the first step toward a flatter belly -- and a healthier heart -- with this Lose Belly Fat Forever program.

Relation between modifiable lifestyle factors and lifetime risk of heart failure. Djousse L. et al., JAMA 2009 Jul 22;302(4):394-400.