Eating a healthy breakfast is a fundamental step in building a nutritious, total diet that meets the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A growing body of research supports eating breakfast regularly for heart health, lower body weight and improved overall diet quality. Breakfast consumers tend to have higher micronutrient intakes, partly because of the fortification of breakfast cereals, and have a better macronutrient profile than “breakfast skippers” (1). Studies in children suggest that breakfast eaters are more likely to meet daily nutrient intake guidelines compared with children who eat breakfast infrequently or skip breakfast (2).

Evidence suggests that regular breakfast consumers also have healthier body weights than those who skip breakfast (3). It has been suggested that skipping breakfast may lead to overall greater levels of hunger later in the day, which in turn may lead to overeating, particularly foods that are higher in energy density (4-6). Similarly, children who regularly eat breakfast tend to have a lower BMI and are less likely to be overweight than those who eat breakfast less frequently (7-10). Evidence in children also suggests that breakfast consumption may have generally positive effects on cognitive performance in comparison with breakfast omission (11).

Consequently, having a nutritious breakfast daily can benefit your overall health in numerous ways; besides fueling your body after the overnight fast, the perfect breakfast not only helps the body get the micro and macronutrients required for the day, it can also help reduce the mid-morning loss of energy, and may support your goals to manage cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. Oatmeal is a good example – many studies conducted with Quaker Oats led the FDA to conclude that 3g of soluble fiber daily from oatmeal, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Despite the evidence showing the important role breakfast can play in helping adults and children meet nutrition recommendations, only half consume breakfast daily.  Quaker aims to be a part of the public-health solution by helping alleviate America’s breakfast deficit and hopes to advance the scientific understanding and definition of a healthy breakfast as requested by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s June 2010 report.

We are looking forward to collaborating with the scientific community in this area through research to address some key questions: What are the reasons people skip breakfast? Time can be a factor for many in our busy lives; do we design a breakfast with convenience in mind, or focus on behavioral strategies to help individuals return to the habit of a daily breakfast? There is also a perception that skipping breakfast can contribute to weight management despite all the evidence to the contrary. How do we change that perception to ensure breakfast becomes part of a weight management strategy? Are there technological breakthroughs and unlocks that would be game-changing for children and adults to enjoy breakfast?

1. Timlin MT, Pereira MA. Breakfast frequency and quality in the etiology of adult obesity and chronic diseases. Nutr Rev 2007;65:268–81.
2. Deshmukh-Taskar PR, Nicklas TA, O’Neil CE, Keast DR, Radcliffe JD, Cho S. The relationship of breakfast skipping and type of breakfast consumption with nutrient intake and weight status in children and adolescents: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 2006. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Jun;110(6):869-78.
3. Smith KJ, Gall SL, McNaughton SA, Blizzard L, Dwyer T, Venn AJ. Skipping breakfast: longitudinal associations with cardiometabolic risk factors in the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Dec;92(6):1316-25. Epub 2010 Oct 6
4. Nicklas TA, Bao W, Webber LS, Berenson GS. Breakfast consumptionaffects  adequacy of total daily intake in children. J Am Diet Assoc 1993; 93:886–91.
5. Sampson AE, Dixit S, Meyers AF, Houser R Jr. The nutritional impact of breakfast consumption on the diets of inner-city African-American elementary school children. J Natl Med Assoc 1995;87:195–202.
6. Sjoberg A, Hallberg L, Hoglund D, Hulthen L. Meal pattern, food choice, nutrient intake and lifestyle factors in The Goteborg Adolescence Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 2003;57:1569–78.
7. Rampersaud GC, Pereira MA, Girard BL, Adams J, Metzl JD (2005). Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc 105, 743–760; quiz 761-742.
8. Utter J, Scragg R, Mhurchu CN, Schaaf D (2007). At-home breakfast consumption among New Zealand children: associations with body mass index and related nutrition behaviors. J Am Diet Assoc 107, 570–576.
9. Croezen S, Visscher TL, Ter Bogt NC, Veling ML, Haveman-Nies A (2009). Skipping breakfast, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity as risk factors for overweight and obesity in adolescents: results of the E-MOVO project. Eur J Clin Nutr 63, 405–412.
10. Timlin MT, Pereira MA, Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D (2008). Breakfast eating and weight change in a 5-year prospective analysis of adolescents: Project EAT (Eating Among Teens). Pediatrics 121, e638–e645.
11. Hoyland A, Dye L, Lawton CL. A systematic review of the effect of breakfast on the cognitive performance of children and adolescents. Nutr Res Rev. 2009 Dec; 22(2):220-43. Epub.Review

While Quaker Oatmeal is a popular breakfast food here in the United States, other types of hot cereals are popular in other parts of the world. In China, a local porridge called “congee” is a traditional breakfast food. Chinese consumers generally dislike the texture and taste of oatmeal, finding it coarse and bland.

With that in mind, the Quaker R&D team began work on a product that would have a smooth texture and glossy appearance similar to that of congee. The result is a Quaker oat-based product that uses local ingredients such as lotus root, red dates, wolfberry and white fungus.

By applying fundamental starch chemistry and selecting unique starch sources, the team optimized the amylopectin-amylase ratio resulting in a softer, transparent and glossy texture that reduced the sticky-mouth feel. This new ratio occurred by adding lotus root starch which is high in amylopectin to balance the oat’s higher amylase and lower amylopectin content. Testing revealed the lotus root starch, and therefore higher amounts of amylopectin, resulted in a desirable viscosity and higher texture acceptance. Chinese consumers are also fond of lotus root powder and consider it good nourishment.

In addition to the taste benefits, the new Quaker congee is more convenient than the traditional version and takes just one minute to prepare compared to traditional congee that takes an hour.

Quaker congee is an example of how modern technology can be used to create a healthy and convenient product based on traditional tastes.

2010 Inaugural PepsiCo Academy of Science Award Recipients Welcomed at PepsiCo Headquarters

Last week, as part of our inaugural “PepsiCo Academy of Sciences” award celebration, we honored some of the brightest scientific minds across PepsiCo – the cornerstones of our R&D function – who are helping us progress toward these ambitious goals.  These scientists are involved in extraordinary projects – from technological and product breakthroughs to solutions that solve cultural, flavor or textural challenges. Their ingenuity and dedication are bringing better-tasting, more nutritious products and more environmentally friendly packaging to our millions of consumers around the globe.

At the event, which took place at the New York Academy of Sciences in New York City, our global R&D team heard from renowned Nobel Laureate James D. Watson. It was particularly inspiring for our scientists to hear the keynote speech at our inaugural event from such a pioneer in science.

In the coming weeks, we’ll tell you more about some of the innovations that we honored — for example, the science behind the Gatorade G-Series Recover Beverage Protein Technology and the work being done by Quaker in China on a cereal that is sourced locally and appeals to local market tastes.

These achievements demonstrate that the journey we have embarked upon is progressing. But we’re really just getting started. As we look ahead, I’m very excited about what the future holds given the incredible talent of the people on our R&D team.

This is the first time the World Heart Federation is holding the WCC in China, working in partnership with the Chinese Society of Cardiology and the Chinese Medical Association.  A recent article in a journal of the American Heart Association points to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) as an urgent global public health problem that claimed more than 17 million lives in 2004. More then 230 million Chinese have some form of CVD, resulting in an annual toll of 2 million heart attacks, 7 million strokes, and 3 million deaths. The prevalence of risk factors that can lead to future CVD events is staggering, as 200 million Chinese have either high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol, and 350 million are current smokers.

The Quaker symposium at the WCC will bring attendees together to share the latest science associated with reducing CVD risk factors.  As part of the symposium, Dr. Mehmood Khan, PepsiCo’s chief scientific officer, will deliver a presentation highlighting the ways PepsiCo is rethinking its product portfolio to offer more food and beverage choices that contribute to healthier living.

“At PepsiCo, we recognize our responsibility to understand the health challenges of populations around the globe and the role we can play in addressing them.  We take this responsibility very seriously, which is why we are increasing our use of wholesome and natural ingredients, reducing fat, sodium and sugar content, and actively working with global and local partners to find new ways to encourage healthier lifestyles,” said Dr. Khan.

”As one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, PepsiCo can make a positive impact in helping to reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke.  PepsiCo’s research and development activities, combined with the work we’re doing with partners in the scientific and health communities around the world, will support our efforts to promote heart health while also tackling many nutrition challenges that exist today,” said Dr. George Mensah, PepsiCo’s director of heart health and global health policy and chair of the symposium.

The Quaker symposium at the WCC is titled, “Diet, Inflammation & Cardiovascular Risk Reduction.”  It will provide a platform to share the latest science on the interaction of diet, physical activity, adiposity, and low-grade inflammation as risk factors for CVD and to discuss ways the food industry can help promote heart health. In addition to Dr Khan and Dr. Mensah, the symposium will also feature two other distinguished experts:

• Dr. Paul Ridker, MD, PhD, FACC

–Eugene Braunwald Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

–Director, Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston

• Dr. Yangfeng Wu MD, PHD

–Director, The George Institute, China

–Director, Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing

PepsiCo recently announced its commitment to achieving a set of industry-leading global nutrition goals, including:

• Increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and low-fat dairy in its portfolio
• Reducing the average saturated fat per serving in key global food brands in key markets by 15% by 2020
• Reducing the average added sugar per serving in key global beverage brands in key markets by 25% by 2020
• Reducing the average sodium per serving in key global food brands in key markets by 25% by 2015

The company also recently announced that it plans to invest an additional US$2.5 billion in China over the next three years.  As part of this investment, PepsiCo plans to broaden its portfolio to provide more food and beverage choices made with wholesome ingredients that contribute to healthier eating and drinking.  In order to accelerate expansion of its product portfolio, PepsiCo will build a world-class research and development center in China to develop products for all of Asia.

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About World Congress of Cardiology Science Session Y2010

The World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions is the official congress of the World Heart Federation and is held every two years. This year, WHF is hosting the congress together with the Chinese Society of Cardiology (CSC) and the Chinese Medical Association (CMA).

Through the World Congress of Cardiology, the World Heart Federation offers an international stage for the latest developments in science and public outreach in the field of cardiovascular health. The WCC Scientific Sessions are designed to attract an international audience of cardiologists and allied healthcare professionals from cardiology societies, heart foundations and organizations worldwide.

The World Congress of Cardiology places emphasis on the complementary nature of science and public outreach and strives to spread the message that through individual, community and patient care interventions, the growing epidemic of cardiovascular disease in developing countries can be reduced.

About Quaker

The Quaker Oats Company has been a leading, trusted comfort food for more than 130 years, providing the whole-grain goodness of oats in a delicious breakfast across multiple hot and cold varieties from Quaker Oatmeal to cereals and snack bars such as Quaker Life and Quaker Chewy Granola Bars.  The Quaker Oats Company, headquartered in Chicago, is a unit of PepsiCo, Inc., one of the world’s largest consumer packaged good companies. For more information on Quaker Oats and all its products, visit www.QuakerOats.com.

About PepsiCo

At PepsiCo, Performance with Purpose means delivering sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future.  As a global food and beverage company with respected brands like Quaker, Tropicana, and Gatorade we are reducing salt, saturated fat and added sugar and increasing the use of whole grains, fruits and vegetables in our global portfolio.  By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com