Growth, hemoglobin, cholesterol, and blood pressure observed in rats fed common breakfast cereals.
Most of the common breakfast cereals tested were unable to support growth or promote health in young rats that consumed these products as their only food. An anemia, accompanied by fatty liver and large concentrations of iron stored in the liver, was observed with cereals having the lowest protein content. Some cereals produced a marked elevation of systolic blood pressure at certain times. Low cholesterol levels were invariably associated with fatty livers, whereas high cholesterol levels seemed to be associated with hypertension at the 45-day period. When only the ready-to-eat cereals were considered, there was a positive correlation between the dietary zinc/copper ratio and the plasma cholesterol concentration.
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000032:analysis / Q000592:standards; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000209:etiology; D005527:Food, Fortified; D005525:Food-Processing Industry; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats
D001798:Blood Proteins; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D006454:Hemoglobins; D002784:Cholesterol; D007501:Iron