Effect of Oats on Serum Lipids
Research set out to test the serum lipid response to recommended daily inclusion of oats in an otherwise regular diet. Hypercholesterolemic adults were randomly assigned two different treatments. Participants in the intervention group were given packages of instant oats and requested to eat two servings per day (approximately two ounces dry weight), substituting the oats for other carbohydrate foods in order to maintain baseline calorie intake and keep weight stable. Serum lipids were measured in blood collected measure response periodically.
Reference
Northwestern University Medical School, Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine
Publication:
American Journal of Public Health
Authors:
L. Van Horn, A. Moag-Stahlberg, K.A. Liu, C. Ballew, K. Ruth, R. Hughes, and J Stamler.
Serum lipids were measured in blood at the 4th and 8th week. Oats were substituted for other cabohydrated foods in order to maintain normal caloric intake and keep a stable weight. The invervention group also reduced their total fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol.
Average total cholesterol (TC) levels were 255 ml/dl for the intervention group. The control group average total cholesterol was 249 ml/dl. A drop in serum total cholesterol of the intervention group was lower by 15.6ml/dl on average, resulting in a score of 239ml/dl. The average difference in total cholesterol between the two groups was 12.48ml/dl. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was reduced by an average difference of 9.75ml/dl between the two groups.