Latest research: Oats reduce cholesterol, provide other heart benefits
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The latest research continues to show that oats significantly reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, according to a comprehensive review of studies completed in the past 10 years.
“In addition, a number of new insights about the potential benefits of oats have emerged over the past 10 years,” wrote researchers Mark B. Andon and James W. Anderson in their review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine in January 2008.
Newer findings indicate that whole-oat products may have favorable effects on blood pressure, weight gain and Type-2 diabetes, according to the reviewers.
Since the FDA's 1997 decision to establish a health claim for oats and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, data has corroborated the earlier studies on which the FDA based its decision, Andon and Anderson said. They said all of the new data “have reached the same positive conclusion regarding the ability of oats to lower serum cholesterol.”
High cholesterol has long been found to contribute to cardiovascular disease.
“Given the numerous positive evidence-based reviews of oats and cholesterol reduction, as well as the intriguing emerging science, the consumption of oats and oat-based products should be encouraged as part of an overall lifestyle medicine approach for the prevention of cardiovascular disease,” the reviewers concluded.
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