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The Oats Cholesterol Connection

Cholesterol is a fatty substance needed by the cells. Not only is it needed for the production of certain hormones, but is also essential for cell maintenance and growth. It can be said that without cholesterol a person would die. Fortunately, the body makes enough to maintain itself.

When we eat foods high in cholesterol, our blood levels will show the increase from dietary intake. If one maintains a high blood cholesterol level for a long enough time, it can accumulate in the artery-cell walls causing a plaque buildup. This is when cholesterol is no longer helpful, but becomes dangerous.

The accumulation of cholesterol has been positively linked to many cardiovascular diseases and to the blocking of blood vessels leading to oxygen lack in the heart or brain and eventually heart attacks and strokes. A diet, therefore, low in cholesterol foods and rich in cholesterol lowering foods are crucial in preventing artery damage and heart attacks.

A superfood for heart attack and stroke prevention is oats or oatmeal. An early finding on oatmeal is that it contains the soluble fiber known as beta-glucan. As beta-glucan passes through the digestive tract, it breaks down into a gel that absorbs cholesterol-rich bile acids thereby reducing the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream.

It acts on lowering LDL or bad cholesterol levels without affecting HDL or good cholesterol levels. This action by beta-glucan is reputed to lower LDL levels by as much as 20% on a daily breakfast bowl of cooked oatmeal containing only 3 grams soluble oat fiber. This greatly lowers the risk of heart disease.

Oats is also a rich source of the antioxidant compound called tocotrienol which, together with tocopherols, is an important compound in producing Vitamin E. Tocotrienol lowers cholesterol by reducing the capability of blood cells to adhere to the inside of artery walls.

But oats has many other important health benefits, which is only now being appreciated by consumers.

Oats contain many phytochemicals, which lessen a person’s risk of getting cancer. The lignans or phytoestrogen compounds in oats have been positively implicated in lowering a woman’s estrogen levels. And lower estrogen levels have been found to lower a woman’s risk of being stricken by hormone-related diseases like breast cancer and to similar hormone-related cancers affecting the ovaries, uterus and in males the prostate.

Oats are full of insoluble and soluble fiber, which are critical in maintaining regular bowel movements. Insoluble fiber, which does not dissolve in water, turns spongy in the gut and, like a sponge, absorbs many times its own weight in liquefied matter. By making stools heavier, the insoluble fiber speeds up the passage of fecal matter through the digestive system, preventing constipation and reducing the formation of carcinogens in the gastrointestinal tract.

Soluble fiber, on the other hand, forms into a gel, which makes the contents of the stomach more “sticky” or viscous. The gelatinous fiber delays stomach emptying to make one feel full longer, promoting weight reduction. Recently, a study showed that 2-18-year-old children who regularly consume oatmeal are 50% less likely to be fat when compared to children who did not eat their oats.

Like all cholesterol-lowering agents, oats are most effective when consumed regularly. The beneficial health effects of oats are best if 40-80 grams or half a cup to one cup of oats are eaten every day.

This contention is backed up by several studies. One study found that the daily intake of 40 grams of oatmeal for two months led to a total cholesterol loss of 3% and a 14% reduction in LDL. A similar study confirmed that a one-and-a-half month to two-month daily dose of 40-80 grams of oat lowered total cholesterol by 20% and LDL by as much as 25%. A third study discovered that the daily consumption of 100 grams of oat bran reduced cholesterol by up to 15%.

The USDA National Nutrient Database has summarized the high nutritional value, which can be found in 100 grams of oats:

• Energy – 390 kcal / 1630 kJ
• Carbohydrate – 66 g
• Dietary fiber total – 11g (beta glucan – 5g; insoluble – 6g)
• Total fat – 6 g
• Protein – 17 g
• Cholesterol – 0 g
• Minerals: calcium – 54 mg; iron – 4.72 mg; magnesium – 177 mg; phosphorous-523 mg; potassium – 429 mg; sodium-2 mg; zinc-3.97 mg; copper – 0.626 mg; manganese – .916 mg
• Vitamins: thiamin (B1) – 0.763 mg; riboflavin (B2) – 0.139 mg; niacin – 0.961 mg; pantothenic acid -1.349 mg; Vitamin B-6 – 0.119 mg; total folate – 56 mcg; Vitamin B-12 – 0 mcg; Vitamin A – 0 IU; retinal – 0 mcg
• Amino acids: tryptophan – 0.234 g; threonine – 0.575 g; isoleucine – 0.694 g; leucine – 1.284 g; lysine – 0.701 g; methionine – 0.312 g; cystine – 0.408 g; phenylalanine – 0.985 g; tyrosine – 0.573 g; valine – 0.937 g; arginine – 1.192 g; histidine – 0.405 g; alanine – 0.881 g; aspartic acid – 1.448 g; glutamic acid – 3.712 g; glycine – 0.841 g; proline – 0.934 g; serine – 0.750 g.


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This entry was posted on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 4:56 pm and is filed under heart health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “The Oats Cholesterol Connection”

  1. Thank you for your article. There are a lot of sites out there that don’t make as much sense about arginine. I’m going to bookmark your site and come back to it.

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