What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance mainly produced by the liver. It is also found in foods we eat that come from animals, such as beef, poultry, seafood and dairy products. Cholesterol has a number of important jobs, including the production of certain hormones as well as the breakdown and digestion of fat. However, sometimes our bodies have too much cholesterol, and this becomes a problem. The extra cholesterol can eventually damage and clog arteries.
So how do oats work?
In simple terms, oat soluble fibre (beta glucan) helps control blood cholesterol by binding some of the cholesterol in your digestive tract. More specifically, soluble fibre helps trigger the liver to pull LDL (bad cholesterol) from the bloodstream for excretion. Beta glucan also helps trap cholesterol in the gut, preventing it from entering the bloodstream.
Oats Have the Fiber You Want
There’s solid evidence that whole grain oats and oat bran can help lower blood cholesterol thanks to the power of beta-glucan – a soluble fibre that basically tells your liver to pull LDL cholesterol out of the blood. Then, it binds to some of the cholesterol in your gut, keeping it from ever reaching your bloodstream.
Three grams of this beneficial daily intake* are needed for this effect, and each serving of Quaker Porridge oats (40g) contains 47% of the 3g of oat beta-glucan suggested per day.
Remember, a healthy diet isn’t the only factor to consider when concerns related to heart health arise. Everyone should know their cholesterol numbers and consult a health professional for advice on managing cholesterol and heart health.
As part of a varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, oat beta-glucan has been shown to lower blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease has multiple risk factors and altering one of these risk factors may or may not have a beneficial effect.
Beta-glucans also contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels.
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Daily intake of 3g of beta-glucan from oats. Oats beta-glucan has been shown to lower/ reduce blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease.