Oats and Cholesterol Lowering
Oat products are among
the few foods which have been rigorously tested in
controlled clinical studies with free living
individuals and found to be effective in lowering
blood total and LDL-cholesterol when consumed on a
regular basis. These controlled studies have
demonstrated that oat products can add to the
cholesterol-lowering effect resulting from a low fat
diet by eliciting further reductions in blood
cholesterol which are independent of the reduction in
fat intake. These studies have also found that oat
products can be readily incorporated into the typical
American diet and that individuals consuming these
products at levels required to observe a
cholesterol-lowering effect do so without any major
shifts in nutrient intake other than soluble fiber.
Whether the cholesterol-lowering effect of oats is
attributable to the oat soluble fiber, beta-glucan,
or whether it is due to a combination of factors
which include beta-glucan continues to be debated.
The scientific evidence is clear, however, that
regular consumption of oat products providing 3 grams
or more per day of beta-glucan results in a mean
reduction of total cholesterol of 6 mg/dl. Benefits
may even be greater for those at highest risk who
have cholesterol levels of 229 mg/dl or greater. For
these individuals, mean reductions of as much as 10
to 16 mg/dl have been observed.
Incorporation of oat products into low fat or
hypocaloric diets may also increase the effectiveness
of these diets on cholesterol-lowering and weight
loss. Blood glucose and insulin responses may also be
improved by consumption of oat products. Thus,
regular consumption of oat products can improve the
coronary heart disease risk profile through
influences on risk factors other than blood
cholesterol reduction such as obesity and
abnormalities in insulin metabolism.
Compared with current pharmacologic approaches to
cholesterol-lowering, the cost of consumption of oat
products is minimal. In addition, oat product
consumption does not present the risks of adverse
side effects, which lessen the desirability for drug
use in population subgroups with high blood
cholesterol but who are at relatively lower risk of
cardiovascular disease. Specifically, these
population subgroups include young adult men,
premenopausal women, and others who are at the lower
end of the range of high blood cholesterol values.
Oat product consumption, along with other dietary
interventions, is also an option for those who do not
have high blood cholesterol levels but who are deemed
to be at future risk by virtue of family history or
the presence of other predisposing factors such as
obesity.
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