Cholesterol, High Cholesterol

In a study by Keenan et al, participants were randomized to the oat cereal group (5.52 g/day β-glucan) or to a low-fiber cereal control group (< 1.0 g/day total fiber) for 6 weeks. Eating oats can reduce systolic pressure by as much as 7.5 points and diastolic pressure by 5.5 points according to a study of 18 hypertensive individuals with hyperinsulinemia. Additionally, consumption of oats was associated with a significant decrease in both total cholesterol (9%) and LDL cholesterol (14%). There was also a trend toward improved insulin sensitivity but could not be calculated due to a small number of subjects. (33)

A study of the cholesterol-lowing effects of β-glucan in 36 individuals with elevated cholesterol did not find any significant change in concentrations cholesterol during consumption of 10 g/d β-glucan rich oat bran (n = 20, subjects) or wheat bran (n = 16) for 8 wk. However, In the oat-bran group, but not in the wheat bran group, serum total cholesterol declined transiently. (34)