WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study published in Nature Communications revealed that eating oatmeal can quickly lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol, sometimes in just two days.
The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany and involved 68 adults aged 45 to 70 who had metabolic syndrome. The participants suffered from issues such as belly fat, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and unhealthy cholesterol levels.
In the first part of the study, 32 people were split into two groups for two days. One group ate three oat-based meals a day, adding up to about 300 grams of oats daily. The other group ate similar meals but without oats. After the two days, the oat group returned to their normal diet and was followed for another six weeks.
In the second part, 34 participants either replaced one daily meal with an oatmeal or continued eating their usual Western diet for six weeks. During the study, researchers took blood and stool samples to check cholesterol levels and changes in gut bacteria.
The findings noted that eating oats lowered the LDL cholesterol, which is important because high levels can cause plaque to build up in blood vessels. These plaques can block blood flow or break apart, raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
'The level of particularly harmful LDL cholesterol fell by 10 percent for them - that is a substantial reduction, although not entirely comparable to the effect of modern medications,' Marie-Christine Simon highlighted. 'They also lost two kilos in weight on average, and their blood pressure fell slightly.'
Moreover, both oat-based diets increased levels of ferulic acid, a natural compound found in oats, in the blood. The high-oat diet also increased another substance made by gut bacteria when they break down this compound. Researchers found that higher levels of these substances were linked to bigger drops in cholesterol.
In conclusion, while the six-week oats-based diet helped maintain cholesterol levels, it did not lower them as sharply as the short, high-oat diet. Researchers believe this may be because people's gut bacteria and eating habits differ, which can affect how well oats work.
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