If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you likely want to lower your cholesterol levels to reduce the risk of heart disease. Therapeutic lifestyle changes, such as eating foods that reduce cholesterol levels, may be able to prevent the need for expensive cholesterol-lowering medication. Intake of oat bran, and specifically the soluble fiber found in oat bran, has been linked to lowered cholesterol levels.
Importance
A high cholesterol level is one of the major risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. In particular, a type of cholesterol called low density lipoprotein cholesterol can build up on artery walls and form hard deposits called plaques. These plaques slow the flow of blood through the artery and can limit the blood supply to your heart, brain or other tissues. If blood becomes completely blocked, you could have a heart attack or stroke.
High Cholesterol Numbers
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that if you are over age 20 you should have your cholesterol levels checked at least every five years, because high cholesterol levels don't generally cause symptoms. The ideal total cholesterol level is less than 200 mg per deciliter of blood. Anything between 200 and 239 mg per deciliter is considered borderline high, and a level greater than 240 mg per deciliter is considered high cholesterol. The optimal level of LDL cholesterol is below 100 mg per deciliter. LDL levels above 190 mg per deciliter are considered extremely high.
Oat Bran
Oat bran consists of the outer hull of the oat grain. It is high in fiber and has been linked in numerous clinical studies to a reduction in blood cholesterol levels. One such study, which appeared in the September 1990 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," found a 5.4 percent decrease in total cholesterol and 8.5 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol in participants who consumed 25 g of oat bran per day for two weeks. The soluble fiber beta-glucan in oat bran is the component believed to be responsible for the beneficial effects of oats on cholesterol levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that you consume 3 g of beta-glucan every day to help lower cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease.
Mechanisms
The primary mechanism for the action of beta-glucan on blood cholesterol levels begins in your digestive tract, where this soluble fiber pulls bile acids out of the digestive juices and drags them, along with stool, out of your body. Bile acids are created by the liver and contain cholesterol as a building block. This sudden removal of bile acids from your body causes the liver to pull cholesterol from the blood to create more bile acids. Changes in the rate or digestion and the level of nutrient absorption when beta-glucans are present in the intestines may also contribute to the cholesterol-lowering effects of oat bran.
References
- Drugs.com: Complete Oats Information
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: High Blood Cholesterol
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition": Oat-Bran Cereal Lowers Serum Total and LDL Cholesterol in Hypercholesterolemic Men; J.W. Anderson, et al.; September 1990
- "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vitamins and Minerals"; Alan H. Pressman, et al.; 2007
