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Bowl of Cheerios

Cheerios Bringing Back Heart Shaped O’s To Promote Heart-Healthy Lifestyle 

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Cheerios is America’s number-one cereal brand. They’re classic shape, flavor options, and nutritional value has been a staple in leading a healthy lifestyle for decades now. The company recently announced that they would be bringing back happy-heart shaped cheerios to help promote a heart-healthy lifestyle. 

The heart-shaped cheerios will appear for the original yellow-box Cheerios, along with the Honey Nut flavor which were the two options that originally changed shape in the 2019 campaign. Additionally, Cheerios is announcing new flavors as a part of the campaign including Blueberry, Cinnamon, and Chocolate.

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The limited-edition boxes will begin distribution at major retailers at the end of the month. Cheerios also announced that they would be giving away a free box of Honey Nut Cheerios via rebate all throughout the month of February; while supplies last. That promotion is to drive awareness for National Heart Health Month; heart disease is the number one killer in the world. The company took to Twitter this week to express their excitement over the return of this campaign.

“When we launched the happy-heart shaped O’s last year, it helped educate the millions of our fans about the importance of not only following a heart-healthy diet, but also about the benefits of eating Cheerios.” 

Kathy Dixon, Senior Brand Experience Manager to Cheerios also took to Twitter to express how “Cheerios is on a mission to not only put a smile on people’s faces, but to inspire them to find new and fun ways to support their hearts. With the launch of our happy-heart shapes O’s, Cheerios wants to encourage people to adopt simple, fun behaviors that get them active like walking the dog, joining an online group fitness class and eating three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods.”

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, nearly 1 in 3 Americans have high cholesterol. To help support a healthy heart and prevent things like heart disease and raised cholesterol levels, health officials recommend practicing healthy living habits such as maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough physical activity, and eating a diet that promotes a healthy-heart. 

The CDC has long recommended eating foods with whole grain oats to help lower cholesterol levels; hence why Cheerios has been the symbol for a heart-healthy diet for as long as it’s existed; at the base of all Cheerio flavors is whole grain oats

According to Cheerios, “The limited-edition Cheerios boxes with happy heart shapes will be available at major retailers nationwide starting in late January, while supplies last. The Honey Nut Cheerios free box giveaway will also be available via rebate up to $7.00 excluding tax. Americans can redeem by scanning their receipt during the month of February, while supplies last, to receive their rebate via Venmo, PayPal or US mail.”

To learn more information about how you can receive a free box of Honey Nut Cheerios in February visit www.freeHoneyNutCheerios.com

Stethoscope Red Heart

Reducing Your Cholesterol Early In Life Proven To Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease

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When it comes to our health, preventative care is key. Just like you would wash your hands vigorously during flu season, or take a Claritin before even thinking about stepping outside during the spring, doctors want you to reduce your cholesterol now in order to prevent heart problems later in life. Specifically, if you’re 45 years old or younger and already experiencing high cholesterol, doctors encourage you to change your eating and exercise habits and talk with your physician about potential medications that can reduce your risk for heart problems and lower your cholesterol levels at the same time.

The news broke after a study was published this week in the medical journal, “The Lancet.” The study is one of the most in-depth and comprehensive research pieces regarding the long term risks of cardiovascular disease in relation to non- HDL cholesterol. 

CNN reports that “non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol value minus your HDL, or ‘good,’ cholesterol. Non-HDL cholesterol includes LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, that builds up in the walls of your arteries, restricting blood and oxygen flowing to your heart, and triglycerides, the fat carried in your blood from the food you eat.”

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Essentially non-HDL refers to unwanted cholesterol levels that you would want to improve on. The study is being labeled as extremely in-depth due to its massive survey group which included almost 400,000 people aged from 30 to 85. The subjects came from 19 different countries, and the study itself took almost 14 years to complete (CNN). The huge and diverse group allowed researchers to come to more concrete conclusions in regard to cholesterol and heart issues. 

The data concluded that the group most at risk for heart problems later in life were people 45 years old or younger. In women, it showed that the subjects with less than great cholesterol levels had a 16% chance of having heart issues and an increased risk of stroke by the time they turn 75. For men with the same level of risk factor, they have a 29% chance of heart problems/stroke by the time they turn 75.   

The study’s authors also “calculated the risk further and say, hypothetically, if people in the under 45 age group cut their non-HDL cholesterol levels in half, they’d reduce their risk of heart problems significantly, from about 29% to 6% for men and 16% to 4% for women — despite other cardiovascular risk factors. That means the risk reduction is much larger if cholesterol levels come down at a younger age.”

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Heart disease is the number one killer in the world, so the study’s main purpose was to reinforce the idea that preventative self care is your best bet at living a long and healthy life. So what kind of personal changes can you make to reduce your risk of heart complications later on in life? Diet and exercise choices remain the number one way you can prevent heart issues of any kind from developing. If you already are experiencing issues with your cholesterol, you should avoid gaining weight and make some immediate lifestyle changes. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of any kind of exercise a day, 5 days a week. Your body will thank you in the long run. Eating well and living an active life is good for your cholesterol, your heart, and your general health.  

In addition to practicing general healthy eating and exercise habits, you should avoid smoking and the use of tobacco products in general, as they increase your risk for heart disease regardless of what your cholesterol levels are. The official US dietary guidelines suggest that adult women should be eating up to 2,400 calories a day and adult men, 3,000. Most importantly, make sure you’re getting your annual physician check ups, and if you’re worried about your cholesterol levels and/or your risk for heart issues later on in life, talk to your doctor about your options and where you currently stand. They’re the professionals, so obviously they will steer you in the right direction in terms of diet, exercise, and overall lifestyle habits that will ensure you live a long and healthy life.

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Research Shows Lifestyle Changes and Medicine as Effective as Surgery for Heart Disease

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According to a recent large study, stents and coronary artery bypass surgery are not more effective treatment options than intensive drug treatment and lifestyle changes that incorporate healthy habits, causing a new controversy in the medical field of cardiology. The subject of the best way to treat people with narrow coronary arteries has long been the subject of fierce discussion among doctors and researchers, with most doctors opting to implant stents into clogged arteries in order to treat people who have heart disease. Stents are tubes made out of wire mesh that force arteries open, allowing blood to flow more vigorously through the body. This type of surgery is very common, and it is even performed when patients have no symptoms or only experience pain after exerting themselves.

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The findings of the study were released on Saturday during the American Heart Association’s annual scientific conference, and the study was the largest and one of the most rigorous of its kind ever conducted. Though the study found that surgery is often lifesaving for people who had heart attacks, the procedure may be performed more often than is medically necessary, as less invasive options produce similar positive health outcomes in certain populations. Among these options are the use of drugs that lower cholesterol, which contributes to the buildup of plaque within the arteries, which in turn increases one’s risk of heart attack or stroke. Stents or bypass surgery, however, are more effective than drugs and lifestyle changes for frequent chest pain.

While the findings discourage the use of surgery in patients who are asymptomatic, they may also encourage the procedure in people who have frequent chest pain

The findings are likely to have an impact on the conversations doctors have with their patients about the best course of treatment for a wide range of heart problems. While lifestyle changes, combined with medicine, are the ideal treatment for people with heart disease who experience no or only minor symptoms, these changes can be difficult for patients to make and keep over time. Changing one’s diet, for instance, generally involves a significant shift in the way one thinks about food, and committing to an exercise routine can be especially challenging for people who are busy. Interventional cardiologists perform surgeries like stent procedures, whereas preventative cardiologists prescribe drugs and encourage lifestyle changes; these recent findings are likely to inspire disagreements between these two specializations.

While the findings discourage the use of surgery in patients who are asymptomatic, they may also encourage the procedure in people who have frequent chest pain, as implanting stents was shown to be effective both in reducing chest pain and lowering the risk of a cardiovascular event. The study also highlighted the importance of smoking cessation in reducing one’s risk for heart attacks and strokes, as quitting smoking is perhaps one of the most significant lifestyle changes a person can make to improve their health overall, especially as he or she ages. 

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While implanting stents is an effective treatment option in some cases, it is not totally effective; in the study, patients who had stents implanted suffered heart attacks at a rate of 5.3% whereas the group receiving medical therapy only underwent heart attacks at a rate of 3.4%. However, after four years had passed, the group with invasive procedures fared better than the other group, having heart attacks at a rate of 13.3% as opposed to 15.5%. While these findings need to be studied further, they may be the result of the fact that many people fail to maintain lifestyle changes over the course of several years. For treating chest pain, stents had a clear advantage over the other therapies, as they relieved chest pain in 50% of patients whereas medical and lifestyle therapy relieved chest pain in only 20% of patients. That being said, both options have been shown to be effective treatments for a number of heart problems, and thanks to modern medicine, people suffer from untreated heart issues at a lower rate than in the past.