Ready to eat cereal and weight loss in overweight children

INTERVENTION: Children consumed for 12 weeks one of the following treatments: One serving (33g) of ready to eat cereal (RTEC) at breakfast; two servings of RTEC, one at breakfast and another serving at dinner; one serving RTEC and mothers received a nutrition education guidance which consisted of delivering orally and written general recommendations for a healthy eating during 12 sessions. CONDITION: Body composition Lipids Overweight PRIMARY OUTCOME: Weight Body Mass Index. Weight and height we meassured with an electronic scale (SECA, Erecta 844, Hamburg, Germany) and a portable stadimeter (SECA, Bodymeter 208, Germany) by personnel standardized following standard procedures recommended by the World Health Organization. SECONDARY OUTCOME: Blood lipids. A fasting blood sample was drawn from every child at basal and after 12 weeks of treatment. Blood samples were centrifuged at 1800‐2000 rpm during 15 minutes and plasma was stored at ‐20oC until analysis. Biochemical analysis in plasma samples included triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol and were done using a commercial kit (Sera?Pak Kit Bayer Diagnostics, France). Body fat. A body composition analysis was carried out by bioelectrical impedance using a conductance measurement apparatus (BIA 101, RJL Systems, Clinton TWP, MI). INCLUSION CRITERIA: BMI percentile >85% Enrolled one of the randomly selected primary schools Signed informed consent