Cholesterol in your blood is a fatty substance that can clog your arteries and seriously increase your risks for the development of heart attacks, heart disease and stroke. You can help lower your levels of harmful LDL or "bad" cholesterol and reduce your overall cholesterol risks by eating oatmeal, which contains significant amounts of a substance called soluble fiber.
Understanding Soluble Fiber
Fiber is the plant material in your diet that your body cannot digest as a nutrient source, according to the American Heart Association, or AHA. Dietary fiber comes in two basic forms: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber---contained in foods such as whole grains, vegetables and wheat bran---adds bulk to your bowel movements and speeds the passage of food through your stomach and intestines. Soluble fiber---contained in foods such as oat bran, peas, beans, seeds, nuts and some vegetables and fruits---draws water content from your food and body and creates a gel-like substance. This substance slows down the digestive process and diminishes absorption of LDL cholesterol into your bloodstream.
Oatmeal's Effects
Oats have higher relative amounts of soluble fiber than other types of grain, the AHA reports. If you eat 1 ½ cups of cooked oatmeal, you will add roughly 6 grams of soluble fiber to your diet, the Mayo Clinic notes. A daily intake of 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber will result in noticeable reductions in your levels of LDL cholesterol and overall total cholesterol. Adding soluble fiber-containing fruits such as bananas to your oatmeal can intensify your levels of cholesterol reduction.
Instant Oatmeal
You can gain the same amounts of soluble fiber from instant oatmeal as you can from traditional preparations, according to the Diet Channel. Instant oatmeal also provides the same cholesterol-reduction benefits. However, individual packets of instant oatmeal may contain less oatmeal than you would get in recommended serving sizes from traditional products. As a result, if you use an instant product, you may need to adjust your intake to gain similar cholesterol-fighting results. In some cases, instant oatmeal products may also contain sugar, which carries its own potential health risks.
Additional Steps
To gain the cholesterol-reducing benefits of soluble fiber, you will typically need to follow a low cholesterol diet, the AHA explains. You will also need to limit your intake of saturated fats and a man-made substance called trans fat. When used in combination with these dietary limitations, regular intake of soluble fiber will generally produce a moderate decrease in your cholesterol levels.
Other Helpful Foods
In addition to oatmeal and oats, you can get relatively high amounts of soluble fiber from barley, apples, pears, prunes and kidney beans. The Mayo Clinic lists other foods with cholesterol-lowering properties that include walnuts, almonds, fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as mackerel and herring, olive oil and products fortified with a cholesterol-fighting plant substances called stanols and sterols.
References
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: High Blood Cholesterol; What Is Cholesterol?
- American Heart Association: Whole Grains and Fiber
- Medline Plus: Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber
- The Mayo Clinic: Cholesterol; Top 5 Foods to Lower Your Numbers
- The Diet Channel: Oatmeal; Does Instant Oatmeal Lower Cholesterol?
