Kellogg Continues its Pledge to Improve the Heart Health of Women with the Smart Start Healthy Heart Kit

11/05/07 Knowing two important numbers - cholesterol and blood pressure - can help women evaluate their overall risk for heart disease and lead them on the path to healthier living. Yet, while three-quarters of women queried in a recent Kellogg sponsored survey knew that cholesterol and blood pressure are two key risk indicators for heart disease; few actually reported knowing their own numbers.

To make it easier and more convenient for women to get this crucial information, Kellogg has partnered with BIOSAFE Laboratories and Omron Healthcare to provide women with an in-home Smart Start Healthy Heart Kit. The kit is free by mail with the purchase of any three specially marked boxes of Smart Start cereal or bars. The kit also can be obtained at any of Kellogg Company's select retail partners now through April 15, 2008 or while supplies last. It will also be available on http://www.amazon.com starting in early June 2007. Valued at $25, the kit includes one mail-in cholesterol test from BIOSAFE and a $10 mail-in rebate for select in-home blood pressure monitors from Omron Healthcare.

"Too few women actually know their cholesterol and blood pressure measures, whether it's because they are afraid of what they might find or because they simply haven't taken the time to go to their doctor's office to be tested," says Dr. Annabelle Volgman, a noted cardiologist from Rush University Medical Center who has partnered with Kellogg Company to help increase awareness of heart disease among women. "The Smart Start Healthy Heart Kit is an easy, in-home kit that gives women the tools they need to be better informed about their heart health and removes the excuse that they don't have time to do it!"

BIOSAFE Laboratories, which will process the cholesterol test, is the only laboratory in the world that has achieved both National Cholesterol Education Program Certification and Federal Drug Administration approval for consumer use of a cholesterol panel. Easy-to-follow instructions are included with the finger-prick cholesterol test, as well as a pre-addressed and pre-paid mailing envelope in which to mail the test for analysis. Laboratory results are mailed back within three working days of test receipt for a fee $10 for a report on total cholesterol or $15 for a full cholesterol panel, which includes analysis of total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides.

Omron is the No. 1 brand of home blood pressure monitors recommended by doctors and pharmacists. The $10 mail-in rebate can be redeemed for select Omron IntelliSense automatic blood pressure monitors sold at retail pharmacies, grocery stores and mass merchandisers. Omron blood pressure monitors provide quick, comfortable and accurate readings with prices starting around $40, depending on the model and features.

"Kellogg Company is pleased to offer the Smart Start Healthy Heart Kit to our customers who are interested in maintaining or strengthening their heart health," said Patricia Siwajek, registered dietitian and nutrition business partner at Kellogg. "With this promotion, when our customers choose Smart Start cereal they get not only the terrific heart-health benefits of a great tasting product with ingredients such as potassium and oat bran, but they also have the opportunity to take their health to the next level by learning their cholesterol and blood pressure levels."