ARS | Publication request: RAW AND PROCESSED OAT INGREDIENTS LOWER PLASMA CHOLESTEROL IN THE HAMSTER

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 17, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: High plasma cholesterol and high dietary fat intake are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Soluble fibers have been shown to reduce plasma cholesterol in both human and animal studies. The cereal grains, oat and barley, contain beta-glucan, a form of soluble dietary fiber. Oatrim, a fat substitute produced from oats, also contains a significant amount of beta-glucan. Diets containing the same amount of fat and fiber were fed t test animals. The diets containing Oatrim or oats enriched in beta-glucan lowered total plasma cholesterol significantly compared to animals fed only insoluble fiber. These findings support the use of high beta-glucan oat fractions in health promoting products.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine if Oatrim, a product developed and used as a fat substitute, can also reduce plasma cholesterol due to its soluble dietary fiber content. Diets with soluble fiber contents of 0% (oat hydrolyzate) or 4.2-4.3% B-glucan from oat or Oatrim were fed to hamsters for 21 days. All oat derived diets reduced serum cholesterol significantly compared to a control diet containing cellulose (p less than 0.05). The cornstarch content of the oat diets was correlated (r squared =0.95) with low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration.