Presweetened and Nonpresweetened Ready-to-Eat Cereals at Breakfast Are Associated With Improved Nutrient Intake but Not With Increased Body Weight of Children and Adolescents

This study compared nutrient intake and body weight measures in children 4 to 8 (n = 1480) and 9 to 13 (n = 1790), and adolescents 14 to 18 years of age (n = 1826) participating in 1999-2002 NHANES and consuming a presweetened ready-to-eat cereal (PSRTEC), a non-PSRTEC (NPSRTEC), or other breakfast (OB). Sample weights were applied, and logistic regression identified differences among breakfast consumption groups controlling for appropriate covariates. Breakfast type varied by the above-mentioned age groups: 34% (n = 507), 33% (n = 593), and 23% (n = 416) consumed PSRTEC, respectively; 12% (n = 178), 9% (n = 165), and 8% (n = 144), respectively, consumed NPSRTEC; and 54% (n = 795), 58% (n = 1032), and 69% (n = 1266), respectively, consumed OBs. RTEC consumers had significantly higher intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and B12, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc than OB consumers. In children 4 to 8 years old and 9 to 13 years old, added sugars (103.3 ± 2.6 and 111.3 ± 3.0 g) were highest in PSRTEC consumers. Fiber intake was highest in NPSRTEC (4-8 and 9-13 years of age) consumers (14.3 ± 0.4 and 14.7 ± 0.7 g) and lowest in 14- to 18-year-old OB consumers (11.9 ± 0.3 g). Weight measures were not higher in either group of RTEC consumers compared with OB consumers. Data suggest that RTEC contribute a high level of nutrients to the diet, and PSRTEC is not associated with higher body weight in children.