Could Increasing Dietary Fiber Be One of the Best Ways to Lower Cholesterol?

Recently one of the major food companies was forced to modify, and in some cases pull their ads, which toted their cereal and oatmeal products as cholesterol lowering. But what are the facts, and is there any research to suggest that consuming oatmeal in place of cholesterol laden meats and dairy products could be one of the best ways to lower cholesterol.

Since the 1970's researchers have known that eating food like oatmeal which are classified as dietary fiber can lower cholesterol. But with the introduction of statin drugs many people have put this type of diet modification on the back burner. After all a big bowel of dry oatmeal really doesn't conjure up the same appetizing endorphins as some tasty cholesterol laden foods.

Oatmeal's primary dietary fiber is beta glucan, and most experts believe it is the number one most effective type of soluble fiber. But before you gather your car keys, look for coupons, check for the lowest price, and race to the grocery store, there is one thing you should know, "Not All Oatmeal Dramatically Reduces Cholesterol". The reason for this is the brown outer layer of the oatmeal that is removed for fast cooking. Hold on, before you throw away the quick cook oats let's explore a couple of research studies.

In a research study conducted at the University or Kentucky in the early nineties (just after the dinosaurs became extinct) participants which added 1/2 cup of dry oat bran (not oatmeal) to their diets daily lowered their cholesterol levels by one fourth.

These stunning results prompted one of the major oatmeal and cereal manufacturers to fund a study at the prestigious Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The goal, to see whether oatmeal and/or cereal could produce the same results as oat bran. While the results were respectable, they didn't quite live up to expectations. With the help of a low fat, happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet the participants were able to reduce cholesterol levels by 9.3 percent when 2 ounces of oats and oat were added to their daily diet plan.

While at first the almost 10 percent drop may seem somewhat inconsequential but if you take into consideration the risk of heart attack drops two percentage points for every one point drop in cholesterol all of the sudden it seems much more important. So, depending on your cholesterol level, even a 10 percent improvement can dramatically improve your chances of avoiding a potentially life threatening heart attack or stroke.

In summary, from my point of view the above research seems to support the hypothesis that dietary fiber consumption is one of the best ways to lower cholesterol, especially when combined with a low fat, happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet plan. It is always a good idea to talk to your doctor before making any dramatic diet modifications, just to make sure that this type of plan doesn't get in the way of other therapies or medications.

Additionally, natural supplementation may be another one of the productive ways to lower cholesterol. Many purchaseremedies.com/Cholesterol.html natural remedies for cholesterol contain dietary fiber along with other beneficial ingredients that emerging research suggests could be an excellent alternative to prescription medications with a long list of label warnings.

Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field.
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