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By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, April 3, 2007, abstracted from “Concentrated oat beta-glucan, a fermentable fiber, lowers serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults in a randomized controlled trial” printed online in Nutrition Journal
Fiber has become an important food/supplement in helping to control cholesterol levels. In 1997, the FDA claimed that “at least 3 grams per day of beta-glucan from oats should be consumed to achieve a clinically relevant reduction in serum total cholesterol concentrations”.1
Research has shown that beta-glucan improves insulin function in those with high blood pressure2 and also has positive effects on LDL cholesterol.3 Now a new study4 has found that 6 grams of beta-glucan fiber per day can help maintain healthy LDL cholesterol levels.
In the study, researchers gave 75 men and women with high cholesterol either 6 grams of beta-glucan per day or placebo for 6 weeks. Researchers measured LDL, HDL and total cholesterol as well as blood sugar, insulin, homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP).
At the end of 6 weeks, the researchers found beta-glucan to “produce significant reductions” in both total and LDL cholesterol. Specifically, both LDL and total cholesterol decreased by as much as 0.4 mmol/L. No other significant changes were seen.
While decreasing your LDL cholesterol by 0.4 mmol/L may not seem like much, it becomes significant since an increase in LDL by 0.26 mmol/L increases heart disease risk by 12%. As a result, researchers concluded that “six grams of concentrated oat beta-glucan per day for six weeks significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol” and that “a practical dose of oat beta-glucan can significantly lower serum lipids in a high-risk population and may improve colon health.”
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:[email protected] or visiting his web site at chiropractor Danville, Complete Chiropractic Health Care - Danville chiropractor
Reference:
1 FDA Talk Paper (1997) FDA allows whole oat foods to make health claim on reducing the risk of heart disease 1997 Available at U.S. FDA / Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
2 Maki KC. Effects of consuming foods containing oat beta-glucan on blood pressure, carbohydrate metabolism and biomarkers of oxidative stress in men and women with elevated blood pressure. Eur J Clin Nutr advance online publication, December 6, 2006; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602562
3 Mensink RP. ß-Glucan incorporated into a fruit drink effectively lowers serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Mar 2006; 83: 601 - 605.
4 Queenan KM. Concentrated oat beta-glucan, a fermentable fiber, lowers serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults in a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition Journal 2007, 6:6 (26 March 2007)
Fiber has become an important food/supplement in helping to control cholesterol levels. In 1997, the FDA claimed that “at least 3 grams per day of beta-glucan from oats should be consumed to achieve a clinically relevant reduction in serum total cholesterol concentrations”.1
Research has shown that beta-glucan improves insulin function in those with high blood pressure2 and also has positive effects on LDL cholesterol.3 Now a new study4 has found that 6 grams of beta-glucan fiber per day can help maintain healthy LDL cholesterol levels.
In the study, researchers gave 75 men and women with high cholesterol either 6 grams of beta-glucan per day or placebo for 6 weeks. Researchers measured LDL, HDL and total cholesterol as well as blood sugar, insulin, homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP).
At the end of 6 weeks, the researchers found beta-glucan to “produce significant reductions” in both total and LDL cholesterol. Specifically, both LDL and total cholesterol decreased by as much as 0.4 mmol/L. No other significant changes were seen.
While decreasing your LDL cholesterol by 0.4 mmol/L may not seem like much, it becomes significant since an increase in LDL by 0.26 mmol/L increases heart disease risk by 12%. As a result, researchers concluded that “six grams of concentrated oat beta-glucan per day for six weeks significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol” and that “a practical dose of oat beta-glucan can significantly lower serum lipids in a high-risk population and may improve colon health.”
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:[email protected] or visiting his web site at chiropractor Danville, Complete Chiropractic Health Care - Danville chiropractor
Reference:
1 FDA Talk Paper (1997) FDA allows whole oat foods to make health claim on reducing the risk of heart disease 1997 Available at U.S. FDA / Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
2 Maki KC. Effects of consuming foods containing oat beta-glucan on blood pressure, carbohydrate metabolism and biomarkers of oxidative stress in men and women with elevated blood pressure. Eur J Clin Nutr advance online publication, December 6, 2006; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602562
3 Mensink RP. ß-Glucan incorporated into a fruit drink effectively lowers serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Mar 2006; 83: 601 - 605.
4 Queenan KM. Concentrated oat beta-glucan, a fermentable fiber, lowers serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults in a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition Journal 2007, 6:6 (26 March 2007)
