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Oat products are among the few foods which have been rigorously tested
in controlled clinical studies with free living individuals and found
to be effective in lowering blood total and LDL-cholesterol when consumed
on a regular basis. These controlled studies have demonstrated that
oat products can add to the cholesterol-lowering effect resulting from
a low fat diet by eliciting further reductions in blood cholesterol
which are independent of the reduction in fat intake. These studies
have also found that oat products can be readily incorporated into the
typical American diet and that individuals consuming these products
at levels required to observe a cholesterol-lowering effect do so without
any major shifts in nutrient intake other than soluble fiber.
Whether the cholesterol-lowering effect of oats is attributable to
the oat soluble fiber, beta-glucan, or whether it is due to a combination
of factors which include beta-glucan continues to be debated. The scientific
evidence is clear, however, that regular consumption of oat products
providing 3 grams or more per day of beta-glucan results in a mean reduction
of total cholesterol of 6 mg/dl. Benefits may even be greater for those
at highest risk who have cholesterol levels of 229 mg/dl or greater.
For these individuals, mean reductions of as much as 10 to 16 mg/dl
have been observed.
Incorporation of oat products into low fat or hypocaloric diets may
also increase the effectiveness of these diets on cholesterol-lowering
and weight loss. Blood glucose and insulin responses may also be improved
by consumption of oat products. Thus, regular consumption of oat products
can improve the coronary heart disease risk profile through influences
on risk factors other than blood cholesterol reduction such as obesity
and abnormalities in insulin metabolism.
Compared with current pharmacologic approaches to cholesterol-lowering,
the cost of consumption of oat products is minimal. In addition, oat
product consumption does not present the risks of adverse side effects,
which lessen the desirability for drug use in population subgroups with
high blood cholesterol but who are at relatively lower risk of cardiovascular
disease. Specifically, these population subgroups include young adult
men, premenopausal women, and others who are at the lower end of the
range of high blood cholesterol values. Oat product consumption, along
with other dietary interventions, is also an option for those who do
not have high blood cholesterol levels but who are deemed to be at future
risk by virtue of family history or the presence of other predisposing
factors such as obesity.
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