Oat bran is the hard outer layer of the oat grain. It is high in fiber, and good for your health when eaten as part of a balanced diet. Oat bran's soluble fiber has several protective cardiovascular effects, including lowering your cholesterol, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
Effects of High Cholesterol
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High cholesterol can cause plaques to form on the inner walls of your blood vessels, hardening the vessel walls and occluding blood flow. Changing your diet to achieve lower blood cholesterol levels is a proactive step you can take to decrease your risk of heart attack and stroke. Small steps, such as increasing your intake of oat bran, may help.
Oat Bran's Cardiovascular Effects
The viscous fiber found in oat bran promotes heart health by decreasing both your total serum cholesterol and your LDL cholesterol levels, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. This effect has lead the FDA to permit oat bran product manufacturers to add health claims to their labels touting oat bran's ability to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Types of Bran
Not all brans are created equally. Oat bran contains soluble, viscous, fermentable fiber. Wheat bran contains mainly insoluble, nonviscous fibers that resist fermentation. These distinctions give these brans different health effects. While wheat bran is an effective laxative and stool softener, it does not have the cholesterol lowering benefits of oat bran.
Sources of Oat Bran
Oat bran can be found in oat groats, which are hulled whole oat grains. Similar in appearance to brown rice, oat groats can be cooked as porridge or used in soups. Steel cut oats are chopped oat groats, and another rich source of oat bran. Rolled oats are steamed and flattened groats. Instant oats are rolled oats that are further refined. The less processed an oat grain is the more fiber it contains, according to Eat More Oats.
Daily Fiber Requirement
If you're seeking to up your fiber intake, oat bran is a good place to start. A cup of cooked oat bran contains 5.7 g of fiber, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. The daily adequate intake, or AI, for fiber established by the Institute of Medicine is 38 g per day for men between the ages of 19 and 50, and 25 g per day for women in that age group.
