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26 September 2007
ACFM response to claim of link between a diet high in starchy carbohydrates and fatty liver ACFM
Members of the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers* (ACFM) feel it important for consumers to understand the role of carbohydrates in the diet and the contribution made by breakfast cereals. The Optimal Weight For Life research has, so far, only been conducted on mice and far more is needed before it is advisable to learn from it. However, what is undeniable is that carbohydrates have a vital role to play in a healthy diet – and suggestions to the contrary are unlikely to provide consumers with useful advice.
The Food Standards Agency’s balance of good health model recommends that one third of our diet should come from grains. Professor Tom Sanders, Head of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London commented: “Although fatty liver can be induced in geese (foie gras) by force-feeding large amounts of carbohydrate-rich foods, starchy carbohydrate foods are not thought to play an important part in causing fatty liver disease in humans. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused primarily by obesity, which results from an excessive intake of calories. Breakfast cereals only make a small contribution to calorie intake and in humans the fat that accumulates in the liver is derived from an excessive intake of dietary fat not from carbohydrate. Current recommendations for healthy eating suggest we should be eating less fat and consuming more carbohydrate (55%) energy, with more emphasis on starchy and wholegrain sources”
Breakfast cereals are a vital source of dietary fibre, which is understood to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers. They provide at least 25% of daily requirements for essential vitamins and 17% of the daily requirement for iron, playing a central role in achieving a healthy and balanced diet and reducing the risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.¹
In addition, eating breakfast cereals with milk is one of the easiest ways to increase calcium in the diet². Approximately a third of all milk in the UK is consumed with breakfast cereal.³
Research has also found that children and adults who eat breakfast, particularly breakfast cereal, are less likely to be overweight than their counterparts who skip breakfast4 and are likely to have healthier diets overall.5
Breakfast is widely regarded as the most important meal of the day and government is actively encouraging us not to skip it. With research showing that one child in six goes to school on an empty stomach, breakfast cereals remain a quick, healthy and convenient option to help kick start the body for the day ahead and improve physical and mental performance.
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For further information contact the BCIS Team on:
Tel: 020 7815 3900
Email: info@breakfastcereal.org
Notes to Editor:
• The ACFM is the trade association of the UK’s leading breakfast cereal manufacturers, which includes Cereal Partners, Dailycer, Dorset Cereals, Jordans, Kellogg’s, Mornflake, Quaker and Weetabix
• The latest salt reduction figures were generated by the annual ACFM review of sodium levels in branded breakfast cereals using methodology endorsed by Food Standards Agency
• Breakfast cereals are the most popular breakfast food with 88% of UK adults sometimes eating it and two thirds having it at least once a week6
• Latest NDNS figures show that the mean consumption of breakfast cereals is 33g per day in men and 27g per day for women, with 75% of this being wholegrain and high fibre varieties¹
References
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National Diet & Nutritional Survey of Young People 2004. Gregory et al.
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British Nutrition Foundation
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TNS World Panel data
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Gibson & O’Sullivan (1995); Journal of Royal Society of Health. Haines et al. (1996); JADA
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Crawley (1993); Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics 6
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YouGov Survey: Putting Breakfast First. Jan 07
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