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Oatmeal's Cholesterol-Lowering Benefits Reaffirmed

Rallie McAllister, M.D., M.P.H.

It's been more than a decade years since oatmeal earned its claim to fame as a cholesterol-lowering food. A new review of the most current scientific research shows that the link between eating oatmeal and cholesterol reduction is even stronger than when the FDA first approved the health claim's appearance on food labels in 1997.

According to a report published in the current issue of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, studies conducted over the past 15 years have consistently supported oatmeal's role as a cholesterol-lowering food. Not only does it lower total cholesterol levels, it also reduces LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the type of cholesterol responsible for clogging arteries and contributing to heart disease.

Oatmeal owes its cholesterol-lowering effects to its soluble fiber content. Soluble fiber is a gel-like substance that binds to cholesterol and causes it to be excreted rather than absorbed.

For folks with high cholesterol levels who want to avoid the expense and potential side effects of cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs, making a few strategic lifestyle changes can be a viable alternative. Eating oatmeal, cutting excess fat and calories from meals and snacks, and stepping up activity level are important steps.

If you want to lower your cholesterol even more, you might want to make plant sterols a part of your daily diet. Plant sterols are naturally present in small quantities in a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals and legumes.

In terms of their chemical makeup, plant sterols are remarkably similar to cholesterol. In the body, they block the absorption of cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract.

Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated that plant sterols are capable of significantly lowering blood cholesterol levels when consumed on a daily basis. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture studied the effects of plant sterols on adults with mildly elevated levels of LDL cholesterol.

When the volunteers began following a low-fat diet, their LDL levels dropped 8.4 percent in just three weeks. When the subjects followed a low-fat diet and added two daily servings of plant sterols, their cholesterol reductions doubled: their LDL levels fell an average of 18.2 percent in three weeks.

In the past, plant sterols could be found only in a few cholesterol-lowering margarines and spreads. These days, the beneficial plant compounds are turning up in a variety of specialty food items, including cheese products, salad dressings, flavored yogurt drinks and orange juice.

In a study at UC Davis School of Medicine, researchers evaluated the effects of plant sterols on healthy adults with mildly elevated cholesterol levels. The volunteers were allowed to eat their normal diets, but with the addition of a cup of orange juice along with breakfast and lunch.

Half the volunteers received regular orange juice, while the other half received orange juice that was fortified with plant sterols. At the end of the eight-week study, researchers found that volunteers who drank the sterol-fortified juice experienced a 12.4 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol levels, while those consuming the regular juice had no significant change.

Research shows that when consumed with a low-fat diet, foods and beverages containing at least 0.4 grams per serving of plant sterols twice daily with meals may reduce the risk of heart disease. Commitment is key: In order for the fortified foods to effectively lower cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular risk, the recommended serving size must be consumed on a daily basis.

In addition to oatmeal and products fortified with plant sterols, a variety of nuts can help lower cholesterol levels. Regular consumption of almonds and pecans, for example, has been shown to produce significant reductions in both LDL and total cholesterol.

Combining several cholesterol-lowering foods may be even more effective than consuming them individually, according to the results of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For the study, adults with high cholesterol were placed on a diet that included nuts, oat bran and sterol-containing margarine.

A third of those who followed the diet lowered their LDL levels by 20 percent or more -- about the same reduction achieved by volunteers who took cholesterol-lowering medications for a one-month trial period.

In some cases, prescription drugs may be necessary to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. But for folks with mildly elevated cholesterol, a few dietary changes may be all that's necessary to achieve the same results.

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Rallie McAllister is a board-certified family physician, speaker and the author of several books, including "Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim." Her website is www.rallieonhealth.com. To find out more about Rallie McAllister, M.D., and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

Source:
Your Health
ArcaMax Publishing
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