The Quaker Oats Company has named Fire Stations 8 and 23 in Denver, Colorado, winners of the Quaker Smart Heart Challenge for having the greatest average cholesterol drop among firehouses in Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

The Denver, CO Local 858 fire fighters lowered their cholesterol by an average of 15 points. The average cholesterol drop of all of the participating fire fighters nationwide was 12 points. During the Quaker Smart Heart Challenge, all of the firehouse teams were supported by a nutrition coach and a variety of Quaker products.

Quaker initiated the competition, an off-shoot of the 10-year Quaker Smart Heart Challenge which helps people lower cholesterol by eating oatmeal every day for 30 days, to help "protect the protectors."

For every point that you lower your cholesterol, you decrease your risk of heart disease by about 1 percent. That means that the Denver fire fighters reduced their risk of heart disease by a sizeable 15 percent.

These fire fighters are among hundreds of people who have taken the Quaker Smart Heart Challenge. For almost 10 years, Quaker has encouraged people to take the Challenge as a simple way to help improve heart health by lowering cholesterol -- both total cholesterol and LDL ("the bad") cholesterol. The Challenge is as easy as: having your cholesterol tested, eating a good-sized bowl of oatmeal every day for 30 days and having your cholesterol tested again.

For more information on how to take the Quaker Smart Heart Challenge, visit http://www.quakeroatmeal.com