Good Lifestyle

An overwhelming number of Americans eat cold cereal for breakfast—that's 283 million, according to data reported by Statista in July 2021. If you or one of your family members is a part of this massive group, the latest investigation into a popular grocery item might be of concern to you. Read on to learn which longtime favorite breakfast cereal is the subject of government scrutiny and why.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating why hundreds of people said they've become sick after eating Lucky Charms cereal, according to a report in The New York Post.

The publication has been following the story since last week, when it reported the news that the General Mills cereal appeared to be making people sick after consumers complained that they experienced vomiting and diarrhea after eating the cereal.

Since that report, more than 400 people have taken to the website iwaspoisoned.com, which tracks foodborne illnesses, to share their own stories of being sickened. Some among the contributors even alleged that eating Lucky Charms caused their poop to turn green.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB.

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The FDA told The Post that the agency is now aware of the complaints and is looking into the matter. "The FDA takes seriously any reports of possible adulteration of a food that may also cause illnesses or injury," an agency spokesperson said in a statement.

As part of the investigation process, "an FDA investigator may visit the person who made the complaint, collect product samples, and initiate inspections" depending on the seriousness of the problem, the spokesperson notes. "The complaints are also discussed with company management during these inspections." The rep did not specify whether the FDA had contacted the brand directly at this stage.

General Mills told The Post last week that it was also conducting an "ongoing review" of the issue, but that it didn't think its cereal was actually making people sick.

That said, the latest flood of complaints aren't the only ones in the cereal's recent history. Almost 140 people complained via Iwaspoisoned.com that they got sick after eating Lucky Charms between July 2021 and March 2022.

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Ready to hold off on your daily bowl of Lucky Charms until the investigation is satisfactorily completed? You might consider switching to oatmeal. Starting your day with a high-fiber meal such as oatmeal every morning could slash your risk of developing Alzheimer's by more than a quarter, new research shows.

The research, which tracked 3,739 adults for 20 years, found those with fiber-rich diets were less likely to develop dementia. The healthy volunteers ranged in age from 40 to 64, and filled out surveys that assessed their dietary intake between 1985 and 1999. Scientists then followed up through 2020, noting which participants developed dementia that required care.

Those in the study who ate the most fiber had a 26 percent lower dementia risk compared to those participants who ate the least. And the link was most pronounced among those who ate more soluble fiber—like oats—which protects against degenerative disease, scientists noted in the study. They found that fiber is believed to boost the levels of good bacteria, which dampens inflammation in the brain.

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