High Cholesterol? Eat Your Oatmeal!
>> January 12, 2008
Oatmeal's Health Claims Reaffirmed, Study Suggests
We've been hearing from Quaker, since 1997, that Oatmeal was good for lowering cholesterol. But it may be even better than was first thought.ScienceDaily (2008-01-09) -- The link between eating oatmeal and cholesterol reduction is stronger than when the FDA initially approved the health claim's appearance on food labels in 1997, a new study shows. ... > read full article
His report says studies conducted during the past 15 years have, without exception, shown:
- total cholesterol levels are lowered through oat consumption;
- low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the "bad" cholesterol) is reduced without adverse effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the "good" cholesterol), or triglyceride concentrations.
In addition, more recent data indicates that whole-grain oats, as part of a lifestyle management program, may confer health benefits that extend beyond total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol reduction, Anderson said.
Recent studies suggest eating oatmeal may:
- Reduce the risk for elevated blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and weight gain
- Reduce LDL cholesterol during weight-loss
- Provide favorable changes in the physical characteristics of LDL cholesterol particles, making them less susceptible to oxidation (oxidation is thought to lead to hardening of the arteries.)
- Supply unique compounds that may lead to reducing early hardening of the arteries
2 comments:
Do you have any information that would indicate that the fiber content of oatmeal is responsible for the beneficial effects on cholesterol? I'm wondering if the same benefit can be had with psyllium supplementation.
Thanks for your comment. That certainly would be interesting to find out. The study was done specifically on oatmeal but Dr. Anderson's wording is, "Whole-grain products like oatmeal are among some of the best foods one can eat to improve cholesterol levels..." So possibly?
If you visit the link to the article at sciencedaily.com you'll see that the study was mainly to see if the original assumption that oatmeal helped lower cholesterol still rang true 15 years later. This particular study doesn't address why it works. Some research into the 'why' might bring about the answer to your question regarding psyllium.
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