by Aimee Keenan-Greene

A new report from the American Heart Association says eating whole grain breakfast cereal significantly reduced the occurrence of high blood pressure.

The Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Conference 2011and the 51st Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Annual Conference are ongoing this week in Atlanta. 

Researchers analyzed data from 13,368 male physicians who participated in the long-term Physicians’ Health Study over 16 years. 

The men were divided into four groups: no cereal eaten; one serving a week or less; two to six servings a week; and seven or more servings a week. 

When researchers adjusted the data for age only, using no cereal eaten as the baseline, men who ate cereal once or less a week had an 8 percent lower risk. 

Those who consumed cereal two to six times had a 16 percent lower risk.

Those who ate cereal seven or more times a week had a  25 percent lower high blood pressure risk than the no-cereal group.

Also presented at the conference today, new evidence that shows long-term a high-fiber diet can lead to a  low lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease.

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003-2008, researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago examined data from 11,079 interviewees, ages 20 and older, who were representative of 168.9 million Americans. 

The study population averaged 46.3 years old and included 49.1 percent women, 22 percent African-Americans and 26.7 percent Mexican-Americans.

Researchers divided the sampling into four groups based on the amount of individual daily fiber intake, which ranged from 0.1 to 49.1 grams per 1,000 calories total energy intake. 

They found a statistically significant lower lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease in younger (20-39 years) and middle-aged (40-59 years) adults with the highest fiber intake compared to those with the lowest fiber intake. 

Diets high in fiber are associated with less high blood pressure, obesity and elevated cholesterol, all risk factors for heart attacks and other heart and blood vessel problems.