We've known for 20 years that oatmeal is helpful in lowering cholesterol. Now there is new evidence that a daily bowl of oatmeal can do more than just reduce it.

A new scientific review of the most current research shows the link between eating oatmeal and cholesterol reduction to be stronger than when the FDA initially approved the health claim's appearance on food labels in 1997.

Dr. James W. Anderson, professor of medicine and clinical nutrition at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, co-authored The Oatmeal-Cholesterol Connection: 10 Years Later, published in the January/February 2008 issue of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Studies Show Cholesterol-Lowering Effects

Anderson said studies conducted during the past 15 years have shown:

• total cholesterol levels are lowered through oat consumption;

• low-density lipoprotein (LDL, ‘bad’ cholesterol) is reduced without adverse effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, ‘good’ cholesterol), or triglyceride concentrations.

"Whole-grain products like oatmeal are among some of the best foods one can eat to improve cholesterol levels, in addition to other lifestyle choices," Anderson said.

"Lifestyle choices, such as diet, should be the first line of therapy for most patients with moderate cholesterol risk given the expense, safety concerns, and intolerance related to cholesterol lowering drugs.”

Other Health Benefits of Whole Grain Oats

There are other health benefits from regular consumption of whole-grain oats, as part of a lifestyle management program, Anderson said.

Recent studies suggest eating oatmeal may:

• Reduce the risk for elevated blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and weight gain

• Reduce LDL cholesterol during weight-loss

• Provide favorable changes in the physical characteristics of LDL cholesterol particles, making them less susceptible to oxidation, thought to lead to hardening of the arteries.

• Supply unique compounds that may lead to reducing early hardening of the arteries

(Anderson co-authored the comprehensive research review with Mark Andon, a researcher and nutrition director for Quaker-Tropicana.)

Don’t Just Rely on Oatmeal

However, another nutrition researcher cautions against relying on a daily bowl of oatmeal alone, no matter how delicious, for cholesterol reduction.

"Cholesterol-lowering foods may be more effective when consumed as combinations rather than as single foods," said Dr David Jenkins of the University of Toronto.

"People interested in lowering their cholesterol should probably acquire a taste for tofu and oatmeal."

Dr Jenkins co-authored a study on the effects of a ‘dietary portfolio’ of cholesterol-lowering foods, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Participants in Jenkins’s study were already on a heart-healthy diet. To this were added raw almonds, tofu and other soy foods, soluble fibers such as oatmeal, barley, okra and eggplant, and plant sterol-enriched margarine.

Of the 55 middle-aged participants tested after a year, those who stuck most closely to their diet lowered their cholesterol levels by an average 29 per cent. These results were the equivalent of being on statin medication, Jenkins said.

Even those who didn't completely follow the diet still lowered their cholesterol levels by 10-20 per cent, while those who didn't stick with the diet saw no change.

(The soy, nut and fiber diet was promoted by the Almond Board of California, which helped fund the study along with Unilever. Unilever makes Take Control margarine, a cholesterol-lowering spread available in the US, Europe and Australia, but not Canada.)

The take home message is, oatmeal for breakfast is great, but regularly eating lots of cholesterol lowering foods is even better.