Beta-glucan improves cholesterol —
but don’t rely on plain oatmeal for yours!
Beta-glucan (aka ‘soluble fiber’) has been studied as a cholesterol-lowering nutrient for more than 15 years, and its effectiveness
is generally accepted. According to recent studies, beneficial effects on cholesterol and blood-pressure can be seen when
beta-glucan is consumed in the form of oat or barley bran — but the quantities needed are substantial.
Despite the claims of ‘natural foods’ devotées — whose aversion to so-called ‘processed’ foods often verges on neuroticism
— it makes no sense to rely on foods in their unprocessed state for their medicinal value. The amount of beta-glucan in plain
oatmeal or barley varies widely depending upon the grain’s genetics and on how the grain is grown (0.76% to 3.68% in one study
of oats).
Beta-glucan in oats is considered to be effective at lowering cholesterol only when enough oats are consumed to provide 3
grams or more of beta-glucan per day. To get this amount of beta-glucan from oatmeal having the average beta-glucan content
of American oats (22 g/kg), you would have to consume about 136 grams of oatmeal per day — more than 3 hefty servings. But
if your oatmeal happened to have a beta-glucan content toward the bottom of the typical range, you might have to consume up
to 10 servings of oatmeal per day — just to achieve minimal cholesterol benefits.
If your health depends upon improving your cholesterol profile, you would be very foolish to rely on foods whose beta-glucan
content is only known in a statistical sense. Beta-glucan supplements may cost more than bowls of oatmeal, but at least you
know what you’re getting.
Link to a news article with a naïve bias toward oatmeal:
How to make healthy foods unhealthy
Link to research studies showing effectiveness of beta-glucan from several sources:
Modest doses of beta-glucan do not reduce concentrations of potentially atherogenic lipoproteins.
Effect of beta-glucan from oats and yeast on serum lipids.
Link to studies showing variability of beta-glucan content of oats and barley:
Content and molecular weight of extractable beta-glucan in American and Swedish oat samples.
Variation in total and soluble beta-glucan content in hulless barley: effects of thermal, physical, and enzymic treatments.
LifeLink carries Beta-Glucan in 250 mg capsules.
Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging
