Letters to the Editor

Use of Breakfast Cereals for Constipation in Elderly Persons

Am Fam Physician. 1999 Mar 15;59(6):1402.

to the editor: Sometimes a trip to the grocery store can be very informative. Because constipation is a prevalent problem in elderly persons and insoluble fiber is an important treatment, an examination of fiber-containing breakfast cereals is enlightening. Deciding which breakfast cereal to use in the treatment of constipation can be difficult considering the names of cereals, such as 100% Bran, All-Bran and Complete Wheat Bran. The fine print on the box reveals that 100% Bran contains only 7 g of insoluble fiber per 29 g serving—a disappointing 24.1 percent insoluble fiber for a product that claims to be 100 percent bran.

Several other breakfast cereals contain nearly double the amount of fiber that is found in 100% Bran (see the accompanying table).

Common Breakfast Cereals Suggested for High Fiber Content

Cereal	Total fiber per serving (g)	Insoluble fiber (%)	Serving size (g)	Serving (volume)	Insoluble fiber (g)
Fiber One, General Mills	13	40.0	30	1/2 cup	12
All-Bran, Kellogg's	10	29.0	31	1/2 cup	9
100% Bran, Post	8	24.1	29	1/3 cup	7
Bran Flakes, Post	5	≤13.3	30	3/4 cup	4
Raisin Bran, Kellogg's	8	≤13.1	61	1 cup	*
Complete Wheat Bran, Kellogg's	5	13.8	29	3/4 cup	4
Shredded Wheat, Post	5	10.9	46	2 biscuits	5
Grape-nuts, Post	5	≤8.6	58	1/2 cup	*

*—Not itemized on box.

PAUL C. CREELMAN, M.D.

712 South Burlington Blvd.

Burlington, Washington 98233

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