You may already know that eating breakfast cereal made with whole-grains can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, but these fibre-rich cereals may also be able to reduce the risk of heart failure, according to a recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) or heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump as strongly as it should. This prevents the body from getting the right amount of blood and oxygen it needs to work properly, causing fatigue, shortness of breath and excess fluid buildup in the chest.

Researchers analysed the diets of more than 21, 000 men over 20 years and found that those who ate a bowl of whole-grain cereal a day had a 29% lower risk of developing heart failure than men who never ate whole-grain cereal.

Eating any amount of whole-grain cereal had a protective effect. In fact, men eating only one bowl a week still had an 8% lower risk of heart failure compared to those who did not eat whole-grain cereal. While those eating between two and six servings a week had a 21% lower risk of heart failure. Still, eating seven or more servings a week (one cup a day) had the most protective effect. But the benefits were only seen when the cereal of choice contained a minimum of 25% whole grains or bran fibre. Refined cereals did not have any protective effects.

The researchers say that choosing whole-grain cereals, or those with added bran fibre, for breakfast could have a significant impact on a man’s risk of heart failure. For now, it’s not known if women would experience the same benefits. However, Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating advises everyone to getting at least half of your daily grain product servings in the form of whole grains. A fibre-rich breakfast cereal is clearly heart-healthy.